Magic and Angels
by swlfangirl
Summary: This is an AU: based on the movie Practical Magic. I've changed quite a bit of the story line but it's still a lot like the original story. I didn't skip the first 30 minutes of the movie to rush the Destiel love, but I think You'll like it if you give it a chance, even if Cas doesn't show up for a bit. If you've not seen Practical Magic read the summary on IMDB or something. R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow. I gotta take a minute to really thank my new Beta.. she's AMAZING! I cannot tell you how improved this piece is since she got her magic hands on it! Tamnation is the one to thank if you enjoy it.. I may have had the idea but this girl may as well be a co-writer at this point.. I'm so lucky to have her! I hope you guys enjoy this! I know we have!**

**Oh By the way.. I don't own anything.. nothing.. certainly not if you recognize it.. I had a pancake yesterday.. I owned it until I ate it.. now I have nothing.. so Enjoy this ..**

_**Prologue**_

"It has been said that the Winchester bloodline is as old as the sand of the Earth. We Harvelle's and Moseley's don't bear such an illustrious past, but are descended from our own brand of the same magic. For nearly two hundred years, we have been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong in this town."

"Is that why people hate us so much, mama?" Jo asked.

"They don't hate us, sweetheart. We just make them a little nervous," Missouri said.

"Let's face it, Missouri. We have always created a stir. The Winchesters and Harvelle's have always been close, and decades ago, a Harvelle married a Winchester and that's when we learned about the curse. It all began with our ancestor, Maria. She was a witch, of course. But, not the first in our family. And you, my darlings, are the most recent...in a long and distinguished line," Ellen explained.

"Is that why they wanted to hang her? Because she was a witch?" Sam inquired, and Dean elbowed his little brother for interrupting.

"The fact that Maria was a bit of a heart breaker didn't help. Nor did it help that most of her lovers had wives on the hanging committee. But no, I don't think it was either of those reasons. I believe, that they feared her because she had a gift. A power that has been passed on to you. She had the gift...of magic. Practical Magic. And it was this very gift that saved her life.

She was banished to this very place, with her unborn child growing inside her belly. For years, she waited for her lover to come and rescue her. But he never came. No one ever came.

In a moment of despair, she cast a spell upon herself: She would never again feel the agony of love But as her bitterness grew, the spell turned into a curse. A curse on anyone who dared love someone with her blood running through their veins."

"Is that why Daddy died? From the curse?" Jo asked.

"Yes, my mother knew. She heard the beetle ticking for your father's death all day long. She knew that when you hear the sound of the deathwatch beetle..the one you love is doomed to die. But that's how you boys came to live with us, too. We tucked you into our lives then. We've raised you the best way we know how. In this house, we have chocolate for breakfast, and we never bother with silly things, like bedtimes or brushing our teeth.

But with the sweet, comes the sour. So when you find yourself the center of attention, remember, It's not that they hate you. It's that, well... we're different."

_**Chapter 1:**_

Six year old Dean Winchester stood in the hallway of the empty house. He was staring at the walls, trying to remember what they looked like before everything had been moved. His young mind was doing it's best to recall what it was like to see his mother walking through the kitchen with Sammy on her hip. He shed a single tear before deciding he had to be bigger and stronger for his little brother.

"Come on bub, " He tugged on the small hand attached to the toddler next to him.

"We're ready Mrs. Ellen, Mrs. Missouri," he said as he closed the door tightly behind him.

The older women were waiting next to the beat up old Chevy that his dad had kept hidden away in the garage for most of the time Dean was alive. He'd known Ellen and Missouri since as far back as he could remember, the women constantly spending time at their house with their mom and dad. Ellen made the best pies, and Missouri always seemed to know what he was thinking. It was a little freaky, but Dean was glad to have them. They were ready and willing to take the brothers when their parents died, and even when he was saddest, it was great to know that he and Sam had a place to go; a safe place with people who loved them.

It was a few hours before Dean realized just how much they'd had to travel, to visit the Winchester family. He had been playing with Sammy nearly the entire time to try to keep him from crying. Sam wasn't too happy about being in cars in general. Dean remembered how funny his mom thought it was, because most kids loved going places. He quickly stopped himself from thinking any more about her, because it hurt so badly that he wasn't sure he could hold back the tears any longer.

"Go on and let it out, child, no one is gonna say anything to ya about it," Missouri said from the front seat.

Freaky right? Yeah, he thought so too.

"No thank you, ma'am. I've got to be strong for Sam."

This time it was Ellen who spoke. "Dean honey, Sam is asleep. Even if he wasn't, crying don't make you weak. John Winchester was a good man but he didn't know everything."

"He knew how to be a man.. a good one like you said. That's what I'll be for Sammy. He'll learn how to be like dad from me. Thank you, ma'am, but I'm just fine."

At six years old Dean acted like an adult, and neither woman could understand it. He was polite, considerate, but stood his ground firm. Ellen chuckled. There was no way that boy wasn't John Winchester re-incarnated a little early. Missouri looked at her friend with concern, speaking volumes in a single look. Ellen looked back with a gentle smile, doing everything she could to comfort the woman beside her.

Just a little while longer and they pulled into the stretched out and winding driveway. The house stood tall upon the hill and Dean's eyes went wide as he saw it. He couldn't remember ever being here before, and maybe he hadn't. It was huge, with a porch that wrapped all the way around. He could see swings on both sides and smiled the first real smile in over a week. Sammy loved swinging at the park, and Dean was sure he would love the porch swings too.

The older boy brushed a finger tip down the side of his brother's cheek, doing his best not to have the toddler wake up angry.

"Wake up, Sammy. We're here," Dean said softly against the smaller boy's ear.

Sam woke up and smiled. Dean pushed the pacifier back in his mouth to keep him from crying until they got inside. He quickly unfastened the seat belt and pulled his brother close. Sam stood in the seat before climbing over to Dean. Even at six, Dean was strong enough to carry Sam around. He liked to let him walk most of the time, though. Sam's third birthday was coming up soon and he needed to be able to get around all on his own.

Sam was still half asleep from having just woken up and his legs weren't quite up to holding him yet, so Dean carried him until they got in the house. Once they stepped inside Dean gently let him slide down until his tiny feet hit the floor. They walked through the rooms scanning their new surroundings. There was a huge spiral staircase in the middle of the room. Dean wondered what was at the top, but he knew it wouldn't be safe for his brother to make the trip by himself. So he stayed put.

"Don't you wanna see your new bedroom, Sugar?" Ellen asked.

"I'll just stay with Sammy if that's fine with you, ma'am."

"Honey there's plenty of rooms here, you can have any of them you want. Well, except for the three at the end. Those are Mrs. Missouri's and Joanna's and mine. But there's plenty of room for you two to have your own."

"Are there any bedrooms down here?"

"There's an old library in the back that hasn't been used for a while, but no bedrooms. You don't want a bedroom upstairs?"

Dean looked at the ground before speaking. "Sometimes Sammy walks around at night time, and he doesn't always wake me up. Most of the time I can feel it when he gets out of bed, but not EVERY time. I don't think he should sleep upstairs, ma'am."

"How long has he been doing this, Dean?"

"Since he was moved out of the crib. I'll clean out the room myself, won't be no trouble, Mrs. Ellen."

"Well then, lets get that old library cleaned up. Looks like you boys are bunkin' downstairs."

"Yes, ma'am," Dean said smiling. He was grateful that she'd let them sleep downstairs. He didn't know how he would have kept Sammy safe if she hadn't.

Dean beamed as he took Sam's hand and led him toward the back of the house.

"Did I just get educated on child safety by a six year old?" Ellen whispered to Missouri.

"I believe you did, honey. That boy's gonna be somethin' special though, El. More powerful than either of us combined. I can see it clear as day. And that lil baby is gonna be so well taken care of he'll never miss his momma or daddy the way a child in his situation should. I can't say I envy the boy, it's certainly gonna be a long road. But he's gonna be a hero, and I can't find it in my heart to be sad about that."


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you guys want for breakfast?"

"PUDDING!" a seven year old Sam squealed.

Ellen just laughed and laughed.

"Samuel Winchester, I don't know what I'll do with you. How about I promise you that you can have a little pudding for breakfast, if you promise me that you'll go outside and get a little sun on that skin today huh?"

Sam had taken to staying inside ever since he'd learned how to read. Ellen was sure the kid was turning Vamp on them or something. The only thing that would get him out the door was if Dean went and sat with him on the swing. She didn't understand what they did out there every night.

She assumed Missouri knew. Joanna, or Jo (as Dean had started calling her lately), probably knew as well. Ellen was not a nosy woman, and she figured if it was any business of hers, they would tell her.

"Ok, Mrs. Ellen."

"Alright then, Pudding for breakfast!"

All the children cheered, even eleven year old Dean threw his hands in the air and screamed "Pudding!"

Missouri came into the room with a bowl and the ingredients. Dean still thought it was weird how Missouri sometimes knew what was going to happen before it did. He'd been practicing magic for a few years and her ability was still shocking.

They took turns, each child performing a task before moving on to the next. There was only one difference between them and the other children in the neighborhood. Well maybe more than one, but they could mix, and stir, and open things with their powers instead of using their hands.

They always started youngest to oldest so Sam gently opened the pudding mix and poured it into the bowl. Jo, being just six months younger than Dean, added the milk next. Dean's powers were the most progressed so he got the task of stirring the mixture, concentrating hard to ensure the speed was right for smooth pudding. After he was done, Sam tried to open the graham crackers, but he was struggling just a little. Dean nonchalantly pointed his finger toward the pack and loosened it without Sam noticing. Sam smiled his nearly toothless grin when it finally opened. Jo smiled a little too, and let Sam help her crunch them up, because that was always Sam's favorite part. Once Jo had added a layer of crackers, Dean covered it with a layer of pudding. Then Sam put a layer of whipped cream down, before Jo added another cracker layer to it, finishing off their regular pudding parfait.

"I wonder if they'd eat this much pudding if they didn't get to make it themselves." Ellen asked and Missouri just smiled.

"They're only young once dear, let em enjoy it. God knows them children are gonna have enough heartaches in their lives as it is. I'll do anything I can to help them enjoy what they have now."

Ellen smiled fondly at her best friend. They were more like sisters in most cases, certainly had been since Bill and James passed away. They were old romantics at heart, and just couldn't bare to fall in love again themselves.

The children's happiness didn't last much longer though. Jo's tousled curls and deep brown eyes made most of the boys stop and stare. It wasn't anything she did on purpose, it was just how things were. Jo'd much prefer to spend her time hanging out with Dean and Sam, but all the boys wanted to kiss her. Most of the girls were jealous, but there was one that would put the others to shame. Bella Talbot would give her looks that would certainly kill the Harvelle girl if she had any hint of magical ability.

But then, a new boy transferred to the school. His name was Christian, and Jo thought he was the best thing ever. She wasn't the only one, because Christian was smart, athletic, and he could make anyone laugh, even the teachers.

When Sam and Dean came down with the Chicken Pox a couple of weeks later, it seemed like the opportunity Jo had been waiting for. Much as Jo loved him, Dean could be a bit overprotective, and they were always around. Now, because she'd already had chicken pox, it was one of those very few days when she got to walk herself home from school alone. Christian offered to walk with her, making her face light up, and soon they were walking hand in hand towards the hill where she lived.

"Can I have a kiss?" the boy asked. Jo had never kissed a boy before, but she really liked him so she decided a kiss on the cheek wouldn't kill her. She smiled as she leaned up, clearly trying to kiss his cheek. That was until his face turned bringing his lips to where his cheek originally was. They both blushed as her lips touched his, and when it was over he politely smiled and walked back towards his house.

Bella, who had witnessed the whole thing, felt jealousy pour through her veins and quickly started the rumor that Jo was making out with every boy who walked her home, including the Winchester brothers... after all they weren't really related right? And the children of the town could not be quieted. Once that rumor made it's way back around to Christian he was heartbroken and angry. He felt like Jo hadn't really liked him at all, and when she tried to talk to him to explain, he hadn't wanted to listen. By the time Dean felt well enough to go back to school, the rumor was so out of hand he didn't know who to hit first.

It wasn't even three whole days before they began chanting at her daily; "Jo, Jo, she's a ho." That rhyme haunted her day and night. While she was once a gorgeous little girl, she quickly hid under layers and layers of tomboy apparel and ponytailed hairdo's.

A few weeks later the kids were playing in the front yard when Miss Jody walked toward the house.

"Hey there, munchkins!"

"Hello, Miss Jody!"

"Joanna, is your mama home?"

"Yes, Miss Jody, she's right inside. Just go on in."

The beautiful young woman smiled back at the cute little blonde, and made her way up the front steps. Jo wondered what she was doing there, so they all agreed to go spy on the grownups. This was a game they played often, and the grownups always knew. Especially Mrs. Missouri. The three huddled up next to the back steps and watched the women smile as floating herbs danced into a bowl.

"What are they doing?" whispered Sam.

Dean knew the most about magic, and he could tell that they were making a love spell for Miss Jody. They weren't into bewitching innocent men or anything, no it was just a push at fate to get a move on and help Miss Jody find the right one. Dean already knew who it would be, and if she'd just asked, he could have saved her the trouble. His Uncle Bobby was so smitten with her it was hard not to see it. Well he was more of an adopted uncle than a legitimate relative, but it seemed all of his family was that way except Sammy, so he didn't really notice. Miss Jody always smiled at Bobby the same way too, they were just too bashful to say anything to one another. He didn't really like it when his adopted aunts did love potions/spells but he wanted both Jody and Uncle Bobby to be happy, so he let it go this time and didn't complain.

"It's a love spell. It's gonna help Miss Jody see that Uncle Bobby is the one for her."

"Eww gross!" Jo replied a little louder than she should have. Sam just giggled as quietly as he could. Dean shook his head at his loudmouth adopted sister.

Once the women had left they all piled into their "Magic Room." Which was really just a greenhouse full of all kinds of rare and beautiful plants.

"I don't ever want to fall in love, that's what killed mom and dad," Dean said quietly, hoping not to upset Sam. Mrs. Missouri had told them about the curse not too long ago, and Dean hated the idea that one day, they'd all have their hearts broken thanks to one stupid ancestor.

"Me neither, Dean," Jo piped up, definitely on board with living the single life, or possibly just trying to impress her adopted older brother.

"I don't think love killed mom and dad, Dean. I don't believe in stupid curses."

Dean thought for a moment and his face lit up.

"I've got an idea, Jo! We could do a love spell and make the person impossible, so we never have to fall in love."

"I don't want to do it, Dean, but I'll help you. Even though you're better at all this stuff than I am."

"I want a love potion too!"

"Alright Sammy, but you gotta promise me that you'll wish for something impossible too."

Dean looked at his brother skeptically, but Sam just nodded eagerly. "Okay Dean, whatever you want I'll do it!"

"Alright, let's get all the stuff!"

The three hurriedly gathered the supplies for the true love spell and began to combine them.

Dean went first. "I wish to fall in love with a boy, (see I know that could never happen Sammy!) he will have dark hair and eyes that change colors like the ocean. He will have the name of an Angel, and he will be the youngest but tallest brother of four. He will be kind and gentle and smart. He will know things that I don't and not know the things that I do, so we can teach each other stuff. He will be my best friend and my guardian. He will be able to make pancakes like my mom's, and pie like Aunt Ellen's. He'll be a cowboy sometimes and a soldier other times. He will be the one to break this curse," Dean finished as he added in the last of the ingredients. The petals from a lotus flower flew through the air, and it was probably the most beautiful thing the kids had seen since they started practicing magic.

"My turn!"

"Alright, Sammy, remember impossible!"

"Okay Dean. I wish for a boy angel too, and he will always have candy. No matter what, he will always have candy, cause that's important. He will make me laugh, and he will always take my side when we play games. He will show other people one person and be different when it's just me and him. He won't ever leave me, won't ever give up on me. The most important thing, is that he will like Dean and Dean will like him. They will be friends. Because my brother has to like who I marry!"

"Sam I told you impossible, most of that stuff is normal. Well, except for the candy thing."

"Ugh Fine, umm and he'll have giant gold feathers coming out of his back. That better?"

"Yeah that should work."

Dean looked at Sam like he was a little odd... where the heck did that idea come from?

"Alright let's finish it up."

They mixed the potion and then Dean said the words that made the lotus petals fly, and even Jo joined in on the dancing this time. Everyone thought it was a big joke, but Dean knew why he did it. He didn't want to worry about not being around to protect Sam or loving someone only to have them, and maybe even himself, end up dead. No, he'd never fall in love. Not Dean Winchester. It wasn't gonna happen.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jo don't do this please. We need you here!"

Dean was nearly in tears watching his sister pack her things, having every intention of leaving this stupid town behind her. The town where the kids had taunted her by chanting "Jo, Jo, she's a ho." Repeatedly. For years. Dean had nearly kicked every single one of their sorry asses over the past five years. She hadn't been truly happy in a long time, so as much as it hurt him, he decided maybe she deserved to get out and do something fun, something she wanted to do. That still didn't make it any easier to actually let her go.

"Dean, you know I love you. But I've gotta make my own way, do my own thing. Mama just doesn't understand. I want to go where nobody has ever heard of us or knows what we can do. Charlie's a really good girl Dean, I'll be fine. We will take care of each other!"

Jo could see the concern welling on Dean's face despite his will to hide it. She didn't blame him, even she was a little scared to leave. It was something she had to do though, like it was calling her.. another life.

"I feel like you're never going to come back, like this is the last time we will see each other."

This was the first time in years that Jo had seen Dean even remotely emotional, the last being when he'd found a spell to bring people back from the dead and the women of their house refused to let him bring his parents back. He'd been pissed and sad and more pissed all at the same time. Dean Winchester was not one to disrespect or show a lot of emotion, but that day he'd done his fair share of both.

"That's nonsense, you know we'll grow old together in this house. Fighting like those two old biddies downstairs. Probably being over-run with dogs since you're allergic to cats. Hell, we'll probably even die the same day.. just go to sleep and not wake up.. Together."

"You promise?" he said with a small smile.

"Of course, D, I couldn't stand to stay here without you." Jo tried to ease his concern with her comforting tone, but it was useless. He was going to worry about her no matter where she was though, so she might as well get out.

That was when the now teenage Sam ran into the room. He'd been Jo's lookout, and Charlie spotter. She wished that she'd been able to tell her Mom and Mrs. Missouri that she was leaving, but she knew that they'd try and keep her here. They'd never understood why she let the opinions of the rest of the other kids get to her, and she'd felt like there was so much pressure on her to be happy and normal that she wanted to scream. Charlie had been a lifesaver, showing Jo that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being different to everyone else.

"Jo! She's here!"

Jo smiled and walked toward the window she was due to climb out of. She glanced around with a longing look. She was definitely gonna miss her home though. She hated the people in this stupid town, but she would miss home and her boys.

"Come here, guys. Give me your hands!"

They each held out their hands and she took her pocket knife from her bag. She made a small cut on Dean's hand first, then Sams, and then both of her own. She took one of the boys hands in each of hers and held them tight.

"My Blood, Your Blood, Our Blood. Now, you say it."

Sam and Dean repeated her words like it was the most sacred bond that had ever been made.

"There now we are all blood, bound together for all eternity, and hopefully free of communicable diseases."

The boys smiled, Jo always had that ability. She could make them smile no matter how upset they were. It was going to be one of the most missed qualities about the beautiful Harvelle girl.

"Be careful, Jo, I'm gonna miss you!"

Sam pulled her into his arms and squeezed her like a stuffed animal. He knew when he let go it would be the last he saw of her for a long time, if not ever. Despite all her claims that she'd never leave them permanently, he knew how she felt about this town, about these people. He couldn't blame her really, even four years younger, and he'd seen all the teasing and humiliation they'd pushed on her.

"You too, Sammy."

Jo smiled as she saw a small tear run down the youngest Winchester's cheeks. Dean wasn't overly emotional, but where he'd put up a stoic front, Sam was quite the opposite. He wasn't a basket case or anything, but he wasn't afraid to let his feelings out. With one last hug, Sam pulled back and let his big brother say his goodbyes.

"Take care of yourself, and remember I'm just a phone call away. No matter where you are, okay? I'll hop on my broom and be right there." Dean smiled like it was a gentle joke, but she knew what he meant and that he meant every single word. She'd never have to wonder if he would be there for her. If there was anything Jo Harvelle would never doubt, it would be that Dean would take care of his family.

"I know, Dean, I'll be fine. Don't be such a worry wart."

"Love you, Jo."

"Love you too, boys! I gotta go, she's waiting on me."

That was it, she was out the window and off the trellis and gone before anyone could chase her down.

"Dean! DEAN!"

The oldest Winchester brother was underneath the body of his nearly restored Chevy Impala when he heard his brother's excited cries. The Chevy had been his dad's and he wanted to fix it up in his memory. He'd shed a few tears when he'd first started on it, but since then it had been like a dream.

"Back here, Sammy. What's up?"

Dean laughed as he saw Sam running through the grass. With his hair being as long as it was, it reminded Dean of a shampoo commercial.

"I got a full ride to Stanford."

Sam's face was lit up and happier than Dean had seen it in a few years. Of course that meant his own smile grew, as it always did when Sam smiled. Dean had always known Sam was smart and that he'd eventually leave for college, and then who knows what. Now that day had actually come, and he was going to enjoy every minute of Sam's company before he was left alone.

"Wow Sam, that's awesome. I told you that you'd get it!"

Sam blushed a little, but he couldn't help but be proud of himself and he felt like one big, nervous ball of excited energy.

"I can't wait to tell Aunt Ellen and Missouri."

Dean smiled as his gigantic brother climbed the stairs, thinking back to their first moments in the house when he was terrified of letting Sam go up there. Things had certainly changed a lot since then.

They enjoyed a long dinner out that night, just the two of them as they celebrated Sam's achievement. Missouri and Ellen were proud of Sam and Dean was sure they'd want to do something for him later in the week, but they'd let Dean have one night with his brother.

"I got somethin' for ya Sammy."

Sam looked at Dean with confusion clear on his face.

Dean smiled and gave his brother a reassuring nod. Dean spent most of his teen years working as a mechanic for his Uncle Bobby, but since he turned eighteen he's been working full time. About two years ago he was promoted to General Manager, so he was making a fairly decent wage now. He didn't really have any bills, except when Ellen or Missouri would let him pay an electricity bill or pick up groceries every now and then. They'd never take too much though.

Occasionally, he'd send some of his money to Jo, hoping that she had everything she needed. When she first left, he'd gotten emails almost constantly and postcards from wherever Jo and Charlie were visiting, but over the last few years she hadn't been writing as much. The few emails Dean did get often sounded flat and were mostly just inquires about her mom and the rest of the family. Still, he liked to do what he could for her and hope for the best, and he always had enough pay left over to put some away.

"It's really great that you got a full ride, and I couldn't be happier for you. But umm.. I've been putting some money aside, just in case they didn't see how awesome you were. Since they did, I want you to take it and use it for your other expenses, maybe even get a small apartment off campus or something if you want. It's not too much but it should be enough to cover what you need."

Dean tossed him a small black case. Sam opened it and found a book of cheques, a debit card, and a balance sheet with his name on it. He looked over it and his eyes went wide.

"Holy Sh..! Dean I can't take this, you could .. you could open a shop with this or something."

Sam was still staring at the paper in awe. His hands trembling, almost fully shaking, as he read the information on the pages in front of him.

"Sammy, it's not like it's my last penny or anything, I'm not going to starve to death. It's yours, I put it back for you, and you should have it."

Less than three months later, Sam was headed down the highway in a partially beat up Mustang that Dean hadn't had time to fully restore it. The thing ran like a dream, though, so he'd have to settle for safety over beauty. It didn't matter, Sam'd loved the car anyway, and with all the Dean had done for him, he'd be crazy to get caught up in something stupid like a few dents on the back end. Yeah, he was a pretty lucky guy!


	4. Chapter 4

** A/N: You can thank tamnation for this chapter.. I swear the girl is a miracle worker.. I gave her BARE BONES on this and she made it something juicy that you can sink your teeth into.. Be sure to leave reviews if you like it... let us know we aren't wasting time okay guys? They will all be appreciated! **

**Winter storms may keep me away, but I'll post when I can! Thanks for all the support ya'll**

* * *

"Dean honey, we're worried about you. Ever since Sam left you've done nothing but work yourself in the ground boy."

Ellen stood with her hands on her hips, the lines of age and stubbornness that had begun to show on her face only adding to her stern look. She was clearly worried, and absolutely determined to get to the bottom of this.

"I know, Aunt Ellen, but I'm good, honestly. I've got a good job that I love doing, people who care about me, and your pie twice a week. What more could a man ask for?"

Dean stood his ground firmly but respectfully, the same as he always had. It flooded Ellen's mind with memories of the tenacious six year old who never stopped showing her how to take care of his baby brother. She had smiled whenever she'd seen his chubby little face getting red and flustered while he tried to stay respectful. But seeing him in front of her today, it was just incredibly upsetting. The boy had no life, no love, just nothing... except work. He didn't go out and he didn't even try to make friends. Of course, it didn't help that the locals weren't the type to associate with "Winchester's, Harvelle's, or Moseley's."

But, Dean was just a normal guy. He didn't even practice magic anymore. Once Sam and Jo had left, he'd lost interest and he'd stopped helping Ellen and Missouri with their spells. The most use he got out of his gift was to occasionally move a wrench or spanner into reach. Surely, there should be more to his life than this? Ellen wasn't sure why Dean couldn't see that.

"A hell of a lot more, Dean! Particularly such a good and handsome man as yourself."

Dean smiled, but let the conversation drop. The last thing he wanted to do was to tell Ellen to mind her own business, but if she kept pressing this 'you need more in your life' crap he wasn't sure he'd be able to resist the temptation.

Later that evening Ellen and Missouri put together a spell. It was for romance, not love, and certainly not true love. The last thing either of them wanted to do was cause him more pain than he'd already had, and the curse wasn't anything to take lightly. But the man needed some happiness.

"You sure about this, El?"

"Missouri, you see something that says we shouldn't?"

She shook her head in disapproval. "No, sug, just a mad as hell Winchester when he finds out."

"You handle the spell, I'll handle Dean."

That was the only comfort Ellen offered that night. She was determined to get that boy married, even if he didn't want it, because she knew that it would make him happier.

They chanted the words together and finished the spell. Now, all they had to do was wait.

* * *

Dean was lying under the body of a Dodge Durango the next day when he just got this urge. It was unquenchable. He needed to be somewhere, needed to go. It was like something was pulling him, an undeniable force that Dean just had to follow. He slid out from under the car and stood up, walking out of the garage. He didn't even tell Bobby that he was leaving which was odd... but he needed to get to whatever was doing this to him. He could feel the thumping beneath his skin, like his heart was beating for the first time.

He began to run. He ran faster and harder than he had in years. It was pulling at him harder… and he just had to find out what it was. Finally, he came to a stop in front of a beautiful woman. She seemed as confused as he was, but she looked at him as if he was the only man in the world, and when he smiled at her, she smiled back. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen a woman so beautiful. Her body was tight and young, curvy in all the right places. Her eyes deep brown and her skin looked as if it could make the sun rise just to touch against it. He didn't even know her name, but it was like their bodies were pulling together like magnets. He leaned in to press against her soft lips, claiming them as if they were the last obstacle between him and oxygen.

They were married only six months later. Sam came home for the wedding, but drove back immediately after it was over because he had final exams left to take. Dean tried to get a message to Jo, but it came back shortly after, return to sender stamped across it in red. Less than a single year later, Lisa was ready to pop with their first child and he couldn't have been happier.

After nearly two years of silence, he finally received an email from Jo. If it hadn't been sent from her email with her name down the bottom, he's not sure that he would have known it was from her. He'd known that they were drifting apart, and the last letter that she'd sent him had been angry and accusing. She'd said she needed space, that she couldn't take Dean smothering her, and what did he know about her life anyway?

Every letter after that came back, and his emails went unanswered. He didn't know if the address he had for her was still accurate, and she'd disconnected her phone. It was like Jo had chosen to drop off the face of the earth, and it nearly broke Dean's heart when he thought about it. Sometimes he would feel a pain shoot through his hand where the blade had slid that night, and the panic seemed to get even worse. Almost as if he could feel how much she was hurting. Today though, today was a good day because he knew that she was alive at the very least, and pretending to be okay.

Dean,

Hey there, handsome. Sorry it's been so long since I've written to you. You gotta know that I still love you though, right Dean? You know that don't you? I've just been in a really bad space, you know?

Everything's going to be okay now, though. I've found a man. Crazy huh, Dean? After everything with Charlie… But he's.. well what can I say. Tall and mysterious, but I bet even you'd find him charming. There's just something about him. He's named after the the devil, but when I'm with him it feels so much like heaven that it can't be wrong. You know that originally Lucifer was an angel right? All these years, and I didn't even need a spell to find my angel; he's right here beside me. I hope you're as happy as I feel, Dean, because honestly, this is heaven.

Talk soon,

Xoxo

Jo

Dean could barely contain his excitement as he hit the reply button. Something still seemed off about Jo, but he knew she was alive and she was willing to talk to him, and that was an improvement on yesterday. He'd have given anything if she would have told him where she was. All he wanted was to bring her home, and to meet this "devil" of hers. The dude was probably not the actual devil, but still that can't be a good sign right?

Hey Jo,

I can't tell you how good it is to hear from you. Your mom and Mrs. Missouri are worried sick, even now, you know how they get, and it's been so long since we've seen you. What happened with Charlie? Tell me you're really okay, Jo? Please? Or just tell me where you are. I could come visit? we could just hang out for a few days, like old times. I miss you, Jo. Sam misses you, everyone misses you.

I want to meet this man of yours, find out if he's good enough to be part of this family. He sounds like he makes you happy, but you make sure he's treating you right. And you know if you ever need me for anything, just pick up the phone and ask. I'll be there.

On a happier note, Lisa ( my wife) is pregnant. We're having a little boy, and he'll be here soon. I can't wait to meet him. Jo, I never thought I'd get to be a dad. I'm so lucky I found Lisa, she's probably the best thing that's happened to me since Sammy left; probably the only good thing that's happened since Sam left. I don't really know what else to say.. other than please, PLEASE come home, even if it's just for a couple of days.

Love you, Jo,

-D

Dean checked his emails every couple of hours that first week, then every couple of days. Lisa had her baby, a healthy little boy named Ben, and between his new family responsibilities and work, Dean was pretty busy. After a couple of months, he was tempted to stop checking, because each time he opened his laptop and found no new messages, his heart would crack just a little bit more. But he'd never given up on family before, and he wasn't going to start with Jo.

In the end, Dean waited over another year before he got a response. He almost didn't believe it was real at first, but he pinched his arm hard and it was still there. Staring back at him was a little red dot beside the name Joanna Beth. He couldn't click it fast enough.

Dean,

Hey there, man. It's been so long. I'm so sorry, Dean, I've mucked everything up. Charlie died, and I just couldn't deal, so I shut you out. I'm a horrible sister, and I'd deserve it if you and Sam want nothing more to do with me. But you wouldn't do that, would you? I promise I'm gonna do better from now on.

I want to come visit soon. I'll be there, I promise. I can't do this without you anymore, I'm not strong enough. I feel like I'm drowning, but there's no water around. I'm such a mess. Don't worry though, D, I'll be home soon. You'll always rescue me right? You haven't given up on me have you Dean? I don't think I could live if you gave up on me too.

Jo

Dean responded right away, trying his best to hide his concern. Life had never treated Jo kindly, and it seemed that things had gotten even worse since she left town. He wanted to bombard her with dozens of questions - Where was she now? How did Charlie die? Why didn't she come home? - but Jo could be a fickle character sometimes, and if she was as strung out and depressed as she sounded, he didn't want to rock the boat. He didn't want her to shut him out again or disappear. So instead he diverted the conversation to what brought him happiness in his life, trying to encourage her to come home and see for herself.

Jo,

I'm so happy to hear from you, sis, we miss you like crazy around here. I can't wait to see you! Do you know when you'll be here? Maybe I could plan a little dinner, nothing too serious, just a little bite to introduce you to the important people in my life?

I'd love for you to be here to meet Ben, hes adorable and is learning to walk and talk already. We named him Benjamin Jonathan Winchester, his middle name is in honor of my dad. I still miss them every day. I guess that's how it will always be. I'm so happy though, Jo, I don't think I could love another single person in this world the way I love Lisa, It's like we were destined to be together.

I just know that they'll love you. Lisa's always asking me if I've heard from you. I've told her so much about you, but I think sometimes she thinks that I made you up one day when I was bored.

If you need me to come get you, just tell me where you are. The number's still the same. Just call, Jo... I'll always rescue you.

Love,

-D

It was less than twenty four hours later when he heard the buzzing noise. The only other time he's heard it was the night his mom and dad died, and he knew what it was now. The ticking of the deathwatch beetle was like nothing else in the world, and if he was hearing it now it could only mean one thing.

"No, no, not today.. this isn't happening!" he screamed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean could hear that beetle sneaking around beneath the floorboards. The curse was going to take the love of his life away from him. He wasn't about to let it go down without putting up a fight. He grabbed the screwdriver from his tool chest in the closet and began prying the floorboards loose.

"Show yourself, you Son of a Bitch!" he yelled.

He pounded his fist against the hardwood until it was nearly broken, leaning down so that he could hear the noise and detect an accurate location of the deadly insect. He pushed the flat metal screwdriver against it to get enough leverage to rip it out with his hands.

That was the problem with the death beetle. While it's very real, it's almost like a phantom. Dean could hear it, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see it. There was no stopping it once it started. In the end, all that Dean could do was helplessly plead on his knees to any God that was listening, to try and stop this from happening.

It didn't work. The doorbell rang just over an hour after he'd given up pulling the floor apart. Two uniformed police officers informed him that Lisa had been in a car wreck, and she hadn't survived it.

Until that very moment he'd almost let himself believe that it didn't happen, that she was going to come home and everything was going to be okay. Screw ancient family curses, Dean was going to be different. They were going to happily live out the rest of their lives with Ben, and they were going to be a family.

But Ben started crying, and the officers very apologetically took their leave. If Lisa was there she'd have offered them something to drink before they left, charming the officers just like every other person who came to their door. It hit Dean hard, she wouldn't be doing that anymore. Or any of the other million other things that she did that he loved so much about her. Dean quickly made a phone call and had Ellen and Missouri come pick Ben up, because he was fairly sure he was in no fit state to watch him. He used every ounce of strength that he had not to break down until after they left, because he didn't want to scare his son.

Once the women walked a few steps from the house, they heard what sounded like a disaster tearing through the house from behind the door.

Dean desolated the house that he'd nearly built with his own two hands. He and Lisa bought it cheap and he'd spent the last two years restoring it, just like he had done with his beloved Impala.

Anything that could be used as a weapon against the house was made useful. He took his screwdriver and pried every board he could loose. Rotating between an axe and a sledgehammer, he plunged his tools over and over into the wall until the structure was compromised. He demolished and shattered until his arms and legs were so numb that he could do nothing else.

He slid down what was left of the wall and sat with his head in his hands. Lisa was gone. Dean thought about their relationship, trying to remember all of the little details about her before they started to fade. Everything over the past couple of years flashed through his head, but it was like he was seeing through a fog. He tried everything to remember how they'd met, but it seemed to turn up blank. Well, that was odd. Why couldn't he remember properly? He'd told the story, like, a million times. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was in his car, speeding down the road in under two minutes, not even caring if he got caught.

The chevy purred up the jagged hillside and came to a quick halt in front of his Aunt's home.

"You did this .. didn't you?"

His words were quiet.. like he was still unsure. It was the only explanation that made sense, but Ellen and Missouri wouldn't do that to him, would they?

"Dean honey what are you talking about?"

Ellen could see the pain all over his face and cursed herself for not thinking ahead.

"Don't play stupid with me, You did this.. You .. you cast Lisa for me didn't you?"

His mouth moved slowly, almost like it was slow motion. His tone still soft and mostly unbelieving.

"In my defense, son, I didn't think you'd fall in love with her.. certainly not that it would be true love."

That was it, that admission was all it took. Ellen looked into those gorgeous green eyes that had always held love and respect, and all she saw was fire.

"It's not your fucking place to think.. I can't believe my own flesh and blood has done this to me. My FAMILY! You know what that word means to me, and you.. you betrayed it.. you betrayed me! How could you do this?"

The words and anger she'd expected, and she'd been expecting them since she'd cast the spell in the first place. But what took her by surprise was the near hatred in his eyes. Like she'd managed to do the most unforgivable thing. She guessed she deserved that, no matter how much it hurt.

"You were miserable, I just.. I wanted you to find some peace, for you to have a normal life like you wanted so badly. I wanted you to be happy, don't you understand, Dean?" she pleaded, doing everything she could to convey how much it hurt her to know what she'd put him through, as well as how hard it was for her to see him so unhappy.

"Does it look like I'm fucking happy, Ellen? She's gone.. because I loved her too much. If .. if you'd never done that.. she'd still be alive. She might not be with me but she'd be alive! The world has been deprived of an amazing woman, just because you couldn't stop yourself from meddling in my damn love life."

Dean shook his head not daring to look her in the eye right now. He didn't want to break and it was the one resolve he had left. She'd practically been his mother, and the last thing he needed to do was lose another family member. He bit his lip like he was contemplating not saying the words that sprang so easily to mind. But he'd held his tongue out of respect too often before, and this time Ellen had gone too far, even if it had been for the right reasons.

"How am I supposed to forgive you for this?" he practically whispered. More talking to himself than her but he wanted it clear, that this wasn't over. Ellen flinched, and she didn't try to apologise again. In fact, she didn't say anything as he collected Ben and took him back with him.

Over the next few days, Dean pulled out every ounce of Winchester strength as he buried his wife and cared for his son. Sam 's presence seemed to make that a little easier, but he longed to have Jo too. Dean didn't smile anymore and even at such a young age, Ben could feel the loss.

He quickly realized that the house he'd built for his family was no longer safe after his destructive rampage. So against his better judgement and after a couple of days at a hotel to cool his temper, he packed most of Ben's things and moved in with the women who had raised him. But not before laying down some ground rules.

"There will be no pudding for breakfast, his teeth will be brushed for two minutes at least twice a day, there will be no casting around him, and my son will NEVER do magic!"

Ellen and Missouri agreed hesitantly. Even knowing that they deserved whatever punishment he gave them, they found it hard to believe that he'd deprive Ben of magic. Just because of what they had done. Even Sam who had come home was shocked to hear that Dean didn't want Ben to be around magic at all. But as far as Dean was concerned, everything bad thing that had ever happened could be linked back to magic. Lisa, his parents death, even Jo leaving because Dean was certain that the family reputation for practicing only added to the bullying that had driven her out of town.

The next two weeks were hazy. He slept nearly constantly, and even the times when he was awake were mostly spent in bed. He did everything he could to pull himself out of it enough to cuddle with Ben, at least for a little while every day. Sam was really good about reminding him to do it when he forgot or the days blurred together, like they usually did.

Sam was... helpful. He did everything he could for his brother, and Dean was grateful because it motivated him to be stronger and less of an emotional trainwreck. It was just ingrained in him, to not break down in front of Sammy. He had to keep it together. Dean was under no illusion that he actually looked like he had it at all under control. However, there was a huge difference between breaking down and going to your baby brother to sob on his shoulder while you talk about your feelings. That just wasn't something Dean could bring himself to do.

Dean thought about Jo almost constantly when he wasn't thinking about Lisa or Ben. He needed her, and he missed the way that she could always keep him calm, keep him human. Often, he'd just lie in bed, completely enveloped in the covers, and be unable to stop himself from running his finger gently over the place where they'd bound their blood all those years ago. It helped him feel closer to her. He felt like when his finger traced over the tiny white line, that somewhere, wherever she was.. Jo would know that he was thinking of her, that he needed her. He imagined her climbing into his bed the way she used to, just to bop him on the nose. Whenever he imagined her face, he knew it was all wrong because she still looked eighteen, and obviously that wasn't possible, but he tried not to focus on it too much, scared that the illusion might fade.

"D, honey .. you need to get out of this bed," she'd say.

"Jo, I can't.. it's too hard. Everything reminds me of her, of our lives, of what they could have been. It's even worse when it just reminds me of all she would have and could have been if they hadn't brought her to me."

"Dean, you know how much Lisa loved you. Do you honestly think she would have done anything differently? What about Ben, Dean? Do you think the world would be better off if he didn't exist? You can't focus on what would have happened to Lisa, but what actually did happen to her. Dean, she fell in love, with an amazing man. Okay so maybe she didn't know that loving you too much would cause her to live a short life. But, I don't think she'd change it. Would you, Dean? Would you never have shown her love, or given her Ben, if you'd known you were going to die young?"

"I'd love her no matter what was going to happen to me."

"Well then show her the same respect by understanding that she would have made the same choice."

"You always know what to say to make things better, Jo."

"Yeah, it's a gift.. Now you've got to get out of this bed and take care of that beautiful baby boy. I think just maybe if you can start early enough, you can get him into classic rock before Sammy pushes that indie crap on him."

Dean laughed hard at that. Then quickly realized that was the first time he'd laughed, or smiled at all since it happened. He missed the real Jo, but the imagined conversation seemed to ease some of the pain in him, just a little bit. Maybe he was going to be okay .. eventually. He just needed to stay on top of what was in his head and stay away from the booze. He had picked up quite a few bottles, ready to drink himself into a stupor, before thinking of Ben, and sitting them back down. That child of his might be the only thing that could save him.


	6. Chapter 6

It was nearly a year before Dean was able to carry on his life with any sense of normalcy. Ben was toddling around and talking well enough that almost anyone could understand what he was saying. He was a little advanced for his age, but there was nothing extraordinary or magical about it: Just a bright child with a chubby, cute face. The women still made dessert for breakfast, even though they tried to keep it hidden from Dean. He knew though, because sometimes he'd catch chocolate on Ben's clothes before half the day was over. He let it slide, knowing that they'd still make sure Ben got the proper nutrition and he didn't want there to be even more animosity inside the house where his son was currently living.

Dean's life had settled back into order. He went to work, came back in the early evening and played with his son until bedtime, and then he'd go to sleep, get up and do it all over again. There was nothing else for him. He didn't grab a beer with the guys, like he had a couple of times before when Lisa was home to take care of Ben. He never went to check out random sporting events like he occasionally used to. He just.. he couldn't bring himself to do anything for himself, couldn't think of anything he wanted to do. The only time he ever got out of the house was to go to work or to take Ben somewhere.

There were many nights recently when he'd feel a pain in his hand, and he wondered how bad things really were for his sister. His inbox remained frustratingly empty and he couldn't understand why she wouldn't just call him to come get her. Looking up through his window at the full moon, he saw a faded ring around it and felt a stirring of dread in it. The worry he felt for Jo was worse than usual, and he made himself write another email just in case she was still reading them.

* * *

Dear Jo,

Sometimes I feel like there's a gaping wound in my soul, an emptiness that at times feels like it's burning me up from the inside. I'm not even sure there's any of me left in here, nothing that makes me...well me. There's a full moon tonight, a circle haunting it as a sure sign that trouble is not far behind. There are times, in my happiest moments, when I dream of a love that is so strong and powerful that even time would bend for it. That even through all of my pain, it could heal the part of my soul that shattered with Lisa. It could... fix me. I just want someone to love me again, I want to be seen. I don't know, maybe I've had my happiness, I don't want to believe it, but there is no one, Jo.. only the moon that is haunting me.

-D

* * *

He hit the send button, and immediately there was a strong sense that something was very wrong. He could feel the pain surging through his hand, and when the phone began to ring, he ran to answer it. He knew it was her, just knew it.

"What's wrong?"

"D, I .. I need to get out of here. Can you come get me?"

"Where are you, Jo?"

Once he got the address out of her (finally), he sped out with no concern for anything except getting Jo back home. He got in his Impala, and the pedal couldn't have hit the floor any faster. Jo was in trouble, and she'd finally decided to let him help her. He drove until the street signs started to blur past him. With his thoughts preoccupied, he barely saw the road, and it didn't seem like long before he'd reached his destination, even though it was several states away.

The house looked run-down, half the windows boarded up and busted out, and the steps leading up to the battered front porch were broken. He opened the door gently, not knowing what to expect on the other side. He pushed his head through the crack and said Jo's name so quietly that it was practically a whisper.

"D?" she replied, her voice shaking with fear and uncertainty.

He opened the door wider, and saw her cowering in a corner of a long corridor. This was not the Jo he remembered. His Jo had always seemed so strong and vibrant, even with half the kids at school tormenting her. He'd taught her how to fight, how to hold a knife, how to shoot.. this girl.. this woman was.. broken. His Jo wasn't there anymore.

When the light caught her face, he saw it. There was a swollen mark on her cheek, roughly shaped like a man's hand. It went against every instinct in him, not to hunt this bastard down and beat him for laying a hand on his sister. But he didn't even know the man's full name, and first he needed to take care of Jo.

"Get your stuff, we're leaving." She shakily got up and moved through to what was obviously the main bedroom. She quickly placed her things into a bag, moving through the room with a frantic energy. Dean helped her as best he could, hoping to get the task over quickly, but he couldn't tell anymore which of Jo's things were important and which could be left behind.

When they made it back outside, Jo started looking for something.

"I can't find it D, I can't find it."

"Jo, we need to get out of here."

"I can't leave until I find Charlie's necklace, Dean, it's.. it's all I have left."

"Jo, it's probably in your bag already. I know it's important, but we need to go."

"Just let me check the car."

She ran towards Lucifer's car as Dean shoved her stuff into the trunk of the Impala. It was less than a minute later when he heard a scream, and he took off running in her direction. He looked inside the dark car, and saw her. There was a man with her in the backseat, holding a knife to her throat and Jo was crying.

"Drive!" the greasy looking man said.

Dean got into the car, reluctant at the thought of doing anything this asshole said or leaving his baby behind, but he had no other choice.

He instinctively drove the opposite way to home, not knowing what was going to happen. But, the last thing he wanted was to lead this psychopath to their house or Ben.

After nearly half an hour on the road, Lucifer eased up a little. He was still waving the knife around, but it wasn't being pressed against her throat anymore. Dean really, REALLY wanted to kick his ass. Only the terrifying idea that Lucifer could easily hurt Jo in the time that it took Dean to pull the car over kept him driving. So instead he just pressed the gas pedal .. and listened to the idiot dickbag ramble about some pretty fucked up things.

He was constantly checking the mirror to see if Jo was okay. Everything was calmer.. or at least that was until freak-show decided he was going to burn a brand into Jo's skin so that '"no one else could have her". Dean swerved on the road as he half jumped over the seat to stop him. When Dean got hold of him though, he felt his anger course through him. This was the asshole who had kept Jo from coming home. Dean slammed the man's head against the side of the car even as he tried to twist the lighter out of Lucifer's hand. The guy must have been on something pretty heavy because he passed out cold. Dean pulled over quickly, dragging the unconscious body out of the back seat and put it in the trunk of the car, just in case he decided to wake back up before they got back to the Impala.

* * *

Once they got back to Lucifer's house, Dean was tempted to leave the dude in the trunk and just take off, but he didn't really want murder on his conscience. Even though the asshole had it coming.

So he lifted the trunk lid in the dark driveway, fully prepared to kick some ass, but the guy was still out. He felt for a pulse and he didn't feel anything. Dean was fairly certain he hadn't hit him hard enough to kill him, but the guy was still dead. Dean was really hoping it was the drugs in his system, but there was no way to be sure.

"Oh my god, Dean! He's dead!"

"Jo, shut the fuck up… give me a second. I'll figure something out."

Jo just kept muttering to herself, repeating the same phrases of horror and disbelief over and over. Dean was doing everything he could think of to come up with some sort of plan. The man was clearly unstable, maybe if he just called the police and told them what happened, it would be okay? He might be arrested, but they wouldn't be able to keep him for long, would they? He'd have to get Missouri and Ellen to keep Ben..OH GOD, BEN! How in hell's name could he go to jail and still take care of Ben.. this was not good. Dean was officially freaking the fuck out. He'd been doing his best to keep it under control, but the minute he'd thought about his son all bets were off. He couldn't go to jail.

"We could.. you know, Dean."

"Oh no! Don't even think about it, Jo, you know that's not what we do.. It's practically black magic."

Joanna and Dean always had their own language, or so it had seemed to the outside world. Dean just knew that Jo was suggesting they use the spell that his surrogate aunts had refused to do all those years ago, after his parents had died. He'd been angry at them for so long, but they'd eventually explained to him that when you brought something back from the grave, no matter how metaphorical, it wasn't the same thing that went in. It was evil, dark and ugly.. and it would have the potential to not only destroy your own life, but the life of anyone who got in it's way.

As things were, though, he wasn't sure that he saw another option. Jo had always had the ability to talk him into things that he just knew he shouldn't. All she had to do was open her pretty mouth, and he tended to get screwed over.

"Do you still have your pocket knife?"

"Yeah, but Jo we can't do this.. it's .. it's not safe for anyone," Dean whispered, like he wasn't currently handing her the knife at the same time. He already knew that this was going to happen, but he made a last attempt to plead with Jo to see reason.

"It will be fine, Dean. I'll draw the picture and you can do the words just like we always practiced."

When they were younger, the two of them discussed what it would be like to bring their parents back. Jo really missed her dad, and Dean had both of his parents taken away, and they'd never felt like it was fair. Once he'd found the spell, it had taken nearly everything he had to not do it right then and there. The only thing that had stopped him was the sincerity and concern in the eyes of the women he'd spent most of his life with. Either way, Jo and Dean had decided that it would be good to know the spell, just in case they ever changed their minds. The spell involved a drawing in blood and some really long words. Dean wasn't very good at drawing anything, the most detailed sketch he could do was a stick figure. But the Harvelle girl had a natural gift, even at a young age. Jo couldn't pronounce the oddly formed words properly but when Dean read them with ease, just like reading a Dr. Seuss book. If they'd thought more about it, they would have found it.. serendipitous, like they were always destined to reach this point. But children didn't think about those things, and adults who'd never thought about it before never thought to question it.

So here they were, on the porch of a dilapidated house in the middle of the night, drawing pictures in blood and spouting Latin as if it weren't a dead language, which seemed somehow fitting. Jo made a circle with odd symbols protruding from the edges. Dean half dragged Lucifer's body out of the car so that it was slumped up against the porch, before he started his part of the spell.

* * *

Mors est celerem et accurate

Equus est et oblivio

In quo nullius rei est forma.

Quae quidem, ut capta est

vinculis tenebrarum est

statuemus gratis.

In hoc os et caro,

Et spiritum novum inveniemus,

Fac me in hac vita,

idem est enim et mors.

The words rolled on his tongue like an old scotch; familiar, strong, and with a bitter aftertaste.

Seconds later, Lucifer's closed eyes jerked open and it seemed that air was once again flowing through the lungs of the once dead man. Immediately, he reached and grabbed for Jo. Dean was next to him in a flash, trying his best to restrain him, or at least hold his arms, but the now rejuvenated devil-man seemed to be even stronger than he'd been before. His hands wrapped around her throat and Dean was so sure that he was going to kill her. On some sort of survivalist instinct, he rushed over to the impala and pulled a crowbar out of the trunk. Before he knew what was happening, he'd already swung it hard against the other man's skull. The body crumpled instantly and Lucifer was once again lifeless on the ground.

* * *

"Well that worked just great, JO! Now, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Call Sammy, he'll know what to do."

"I'm doing no such thing, Joanna Beth Harvelle! I am not dragging my baby brother into… this."

"Dean, do we have any other choice?"

With a sigh, he relented. Dean felt lost and he had to admit that he wanted to talk to Sam. Closing the trunk, he grabbed his cell from the front.

"Hey Sam, umm I need some advice."

"Dean? It's 3 in the morning.. what's going on?"

"Sam.. its..listen I know you're my brother and I trust you but .. do you have maybe like a lawyer friend that I could talk to?"

"Dean? What's happening!" Sam demanded.

"Sammy, if I tell you, I'm fairly certain you'll be obligated to do something you don't want to do.. and if you don't it will put you in a position that I don't want you in. So just give me the name of one of your lawyer friends.. preferably one that's fully lawyered up."

"Fine, but I'm on the first plane home.. and we WILL talk about this.. There's a guy named Chuck, he's pretty cool. A God when it comes to Law.. Just..be careful Dean!"

"Sure thing, Sammy. I'll see you tomorrow sometime.'

Dean hung the phone up and called the number Sam gave him. Chuck sounded like a pretty cool guy, and seemed incredibly nonchalant about a 3am phone call. It took Dean five minutes to explain the situation, and he was relieved when Chuck told him what to do and arranged a time to talk again the next day once everything had had time to settle.

"I sure hope I don't regret this.." Dean muttered to himself after he'd hung up, before dialing 911 as Chuck had instructed him to do.

* * *

_English to Latin_ via: google translate

Death is swift and precise

It is black and oblivion

There is nothingness in it's beauty.

This life that's been taken

is bound by the chains of darkness

and we shall set it free.

In this bone and flesh

We will find new breath,

Bring to me this life,

unchanged and unharmed by death.


	7. Chapter 7

The police did their interviews and it was over fairly quickly. Dean explained that the guy was knocking Jo around and that he would have left well enough alone if he hadn't put a knife to her throat and basically kidnapped them both. Apparently even on the phone their newly acquired lawyer was a force to be reckoned with. The police told them not to leave, but Chuck explained that Dean was a newly single parent, and that both of the "victims" (Dean hated that word but that's how they'd been referring to him all day) had been through a traumatic experience and that compiled with the grief Dean was already dealing with, was more than enough reason for him to go home and take care of his son. They would leave contact information and any further questions would have to go through him.

Dean was kind of impressed, Chuck didn't have to say much and the police just let them go. Dean wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Getting Jo home was the first step, and then he really needed to sit down and figure out what was going to happen next. He had a bad feeling that Officer Henrikson wasn't just going to let this go, no matter how awesome their lawyer was.

All in all, they'd been dealing with the police for a little over two hours by the time they were released, but that was a vacation compared to all the horror story endings that had flooded Dean's mind when he placed the call. It was tiring though, so getting out of there was pretty damn high on his list of priorities.

The drive was a few hours, but the Impala flew over the asphalt, rushing to get home. Dean and Jo rode in silence, both of them scared to say a word because once the silence was broken, they'd have to talk about what happened. Once they talked about it.. it would be real, and something they'd have to deal with. So for now, they let the quiet overtake them and did everything they could to hold themselves together.

The two of them managed to get a couple of hours sleep before Sam called and said he was on his way. Dean did everything he could to convince him that it was over, but once Sam had spoken to Chuck there was nothing that would have kept him away. Sam was worried sick about both of them but mostly he played it off like he didn't think it was a big deal but he wanted to see Jo now that she was home.. He'd missed her and blah blah blah. Dean was too tired to deal with Sammy's chick flick moments.

Dean and Jo both seemed to forget that Sam's hand had been sliced open all those years ago too. He felt their fear and pain just as they'd always felt each others'. Occasionally, he'd even sent some of his own feelings through it, as if it were a pathway to the comfort they had always provided for him. Not to his surprise, it had always been met with a soothingly calm feeling.

A few hours later Dean and Jo finally made it home. The first thing Dean did was pull his son close to him, and give a small thanks that he could. Dean wasn't the religious kind of man, but when something like the possibility of never holding your child again ran through your mind, you learned to give thanks to any deity that may or may not be out there. So there he was praying and gushing with gratefulness because no matter what happened later, at that moment Ben was safe in his arms and he could think of nothing more important.

It didn't take Ellen and Missouri long to interrogate them about what happened. Well, Ellen mostly. Dean figured that was because Missouri probably already knew. It wasn't just because the woman seemed to know everything before it happened, but also because she kept looking at him like he was some kind of damn hero and then subsequently turning worried about it. It was always nice when the neighborhood psychic looked at you like the apocalypse was coming.

That specific discussion did not end well, mostly with Ellen yelling at Jo for so many things that had been pent up over the last few years. Not coming home, not asking for help sooner, leaving in the first place. Dean wasn't sure he'd ever seen that much panic on Ellen's face. It came out as anger, because that's just who Ellen was. But she'd never really been angry, she was just worried sick. It seemed it was his turn after she finally hugged her daughter, and then turned to face him. She must have been on some sort of emotional rollercoaster because she squeezed him tightly and thanked him for bringing Jo home safely, and then began to berate him for not being more careful, nearly getting them both arrested or worse, and then thanking him for calling the police and still managing to walk away a free man.

Thankfully, they managed to get a few more hours sleep before Sam arrived. The giant, floppy haired brother immediately pulled them into bone crushing hugs. Once that was out of the way, his own interrogation started. They answered the questions, feeling like it was the hundredth time. Dean couldn't help thinking that it probably wasn't that much of an exaggeration. Officer Henrickson had been very thorough if nothing else. Not having the will to hide anything anymore, the whole story all flowed freely.

When the sun went down, Dean put Ben to bed and when he walked back down the stairs, he was met with a full audience of anxious family members. He decided quickly that everyone, himself included, needed to relax. So he reached over and flipped the radio on, and Jo danced across the kitchen and started making margarita's. Dean sat down next to his brother and in that moment, he was more than just a little grateful his brother came home to be with them through whatever was going to happen.

They drank, they danced, and they partied for more than half of the night. It wasn't hard to enjoy themselves after the first couple drinks. Everyone loosened up and just felt happy to have their family home. It even got to the point where Dean was dancing with Jo across the room, twirling her around like a ballerina. Sam didn't dance with them, but he leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the view of smiles plastered on everyone's faces for what felt like the first time in more than a decade.

Outside, in the warm summer breeze something dark was lurking. The clear untouched glass of the windows grew cold. The rapid frosting on the glass was the farthest thing from natural. Not long after, there was a design etched into the icy residue. A three tined pitchfork appeared clearly against the opaque background. All evidence would certainly be gone before anyone noticed but the chill in the air would linger long enough to give everyone a brisk awakening.

Dean sat down beside Sam as he took a few deep breaths to compensate for those he lost dancing. He felt a chill and immediately became more alert, scoping out the surroundings as if he were waiting for something. Nothing came and he eased back into a semi relaxed state. He picked up the liquor bottle from the table, his mind hazy from the one too many drinks he'd already had. Without thinking twice, well, because he couldn't, he tilted his head back and gulped the fire-filled liquid. He smiled feeling just a little more numb as he sat it down on the table. The light shined over it oddly, and Dean began to spin the bottle in his hand. That's when he noticed the labeling, it was … it was Truuli. That didn't seem right, Ellen was a booze aficionado; she would have never purchased American Vodka, that's like buying Blue Agave from California and calling it Tequilla.

That was the moment his brain decided to work, and he had some sort of flashback or memory from Lucifer's house where Truuli bottles were scattered everywhere, some busted onto the floor with the glass ground into the carpet. Then he half-remembered seeing the drunken man throwing back drinks from the same type of bottle in the car. It hadn't seemed that important at the time, but now his mind was doing everything it could to process what was happening and the panic was the first thing that came out.

"Where did this come from?"

Everyone was happy and buzzing from the music that was still playing, and they didn't seem to hear him.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, louder.

Sam reached over and flipped the radio off. Jo seeing the bottle in Dean's hand, took it and urgently hurled it into the sink. The clear glass shattering on impact, leaving nothing but a loud bang to fill their ears. Everyone watched her with confused looks as she nearly broke right there.

"Someone left it on the porch.. what's wrong Jo?"

Neither of them said anything, but both of the older women were clearly upset by the outburst. Sam was as well, but he was much better at hiding it.

"What's going on? Something's going on in this house I can smell it. Dean tell me what's going on!" Missouri insisted.

Neither Dean nor Jo made any attempt to answer or respond to her in any way.

"It's a very distinct smell, it's the smell of Bullshit!" Ellen demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dean replied.

At that moment the witch's broom fell to the floor with a loud clatter. Shocking them all into silence.

"Something evil is coming" Missori whispered.

"We had a problem, and we handled it.. What did you expect?" Dean replied.

"We expect an explanation boy!" Ellen replied.

Again this was met with silence and confusion from both Dean and Jo. They were both unsure of how to respond, so instead they opted not to. Sam just sat with a look of shock on his face.

"Right, well looks like it's time for us to go, Come on Missouri." Ellen said as both women headed toward the staircase. The good mood from earlier seemed to have vanished and no one seemed inclined to continue the revelry. It was less than five minutes later when Dean, Jo, and Sam muttered their own goodnights.

Morning found them all more than a little hung over from the previous night's festivities. Dean used a little magic to relieve his headache; just enough to allow him to stand and check on Ben. But when he entered his son's room, he found it empty with just a note. He read the note, anger building rapidly, and the next thing he knew, he was jerking Jo's arm up from the couch.

"They took my son, now you're going to fix this."

Jo still half asleep and unable to give herself a magical aspirin, was struggling to focus on what he was saying to her but she was failing miserably.

"What?"

"Your mother and Missouri TOOK BEN!"

With the raising of Dean's voice, Sam was startled awake as well.

"What do you mean they took Ben? Where did they take him Dean?" Jo mumbled still half asleep, the other half still drunk.

Instead of answering her, he thrust the note he'd found into her hand.

**_Dean,_**

**_There are dark forces surrounding this house, and evil is coming. That spell has brought it down on you and Jo, and you're going to have to ride it out. But Ben is too young to be exposed to the influence of dark magic. That sort of power embeds itself in the young and defenceless, twisting and corrupting until nothing good remains._**

**_We can't tell you where we're going, or when we'll be back, but we will keep Ben safe. If you trust us at all, believe that. The three of you need to focus on overcoming this shit storm you've brought down upon yourselves, and you can be sure later we'll be having words about practicing dark magic._**

**_Take care of each other. We love you all._**

**_Ellen & Missouri_**


	8. Chapter 8

As soon as they were fully awake, Sam demanded an explanation about the "Black Magic" comment in the note and got more than he bargained for. The idea that Jo and Dean had done something so twisted was horrifying, even if he knew that they'd been scared and panicking. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to abandon his siblings and so he settled in to help in any way he could.

Turned out, there was quite a lot to do. They had no idea what was coming, so they had to be prepared to defend against anything. They created a massive magical checklist, gathering anything and everything that they could think of that might be useful. Dean compiled a mini arsenal of weapons including shotguns, 9 millimeters, rock salt rounds, silver, iron, and bronze knives, while Sam and Jo looked up every protection spell and amulet they could find.

Once the house was defensible, they sat huddled around their mound of weaponry and made sure that they had clear lines of sight at the windows, doors, and any other potential entryway. They were on constant alert, waiting for something bad to happen, waiting for that imminent 'evil' to strike and still unsure if it would be the crazed ghost of a psychopath or some new unimaginable threat that would open up the earth and swallow them whole. But nothing happened.

The whole day slipped past in tense silence. Not wanting to leave the house unprotected, they decided to take shifts so that one person could guard the others while they slept. Paper, scissors, rock quickly determined the order, and with some good natured grumbling, Dean got stuck with the middle shift. Not that Dean could really sleep anyway, and he wound up keeping Jo company for half of her shift as well.

The night passed uninterrupted, no sign of trouble aside from the note Ellen had left. He would have thought that maybe she was just overreacting, but it was Missouri too. It had already been nearly twenty four hours, and whatever it was hadn't shown itself. It made Dean nervous, and he wondered how long it would take. He really didn't like the idea of being away from Ben for too long, even if it was for his own safety.

When morning came they all decided that this was getting them nowhere, they were all exhausted and freaking out over the slightest things. Jo was making a sandwich and accidentally dropped a butter knife and she had two Winchesters at her side in under 30 seconds locked and loaded. Jumping at shadows wasn't going to get them anywhere, and if this threat was going to play the long game, they'd all be too tired to defend themselves.

That was when they took the previously gathered elements of protection and hid them all through the house. They would have something at the ready in any room, but they weren't huddled fox hole style in the entrance, surrounded by a veritable armoury.

* * *

It wasn't long after they had gotten everything stashed away, that there was a rap against the solid oak front door. They all looked scared for a minute, before deciding that evil probably didn't have such good manners and wouldn't come knocking in the literal sense.

Sam opened the door to a short, yet fairly handsome man leaning casually in the entryway. He was dressed in a nice suit, it hugged him at every angle which suggested that it had been tailor made to fit him. His big brown eyes were hard not to notice when they were opened to twice their normal size staring at you like you were a unicorn.

"Well aren't you a big boy!" he said with a cocky grin.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Sam asked, he honestly did not have the time for games.

The man only looked slightly flustered at the question, but realigned his body to a straight and upright position.

"Is there a Miss Joanna Harvelle here?"

Sam, being a law student, was absolutely not going to let this man get to Jo without some hardcore questioning first. If he was a police officer he was not a clean one, because, let's be honest.. a normal cop could not have afforded the shoes he was wearing, let alone the suit. There was a slight possibility that he was a lawyer, but it sure as hell wasn't Chuck so Sam knew he couldn't just let him in.

"I'm sorry, no she's not. Is there anything I can do to help you, Mr…"

"Novak, Gabriel Novak.. I was hoping to talk to her about some family stuff.. Are you sure she isn't around?" His face wore a knowing smirk, and Sam almost found it endearing, Almost.

"I'll be sure to pass the message along when she gets back, Mr. Novak." Sam readied himself to close the door but was stopped when the shorter man moved closer.

"Well now, that's not exactly fair is it?" He pulled a lollipop from his jacket pocket and slipped it in his mouth with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry?" Sam asked, only slightly distracted by the fact that the man kept candy in his suit pockets.

"You know my name, and yet I've not had the pleasure of hearing yours."

Sam's dating experience was fairly limited, he'd always taken his studies more seriously than worrying about who was hotter in a very long list of celebrities. He'd had a couple girlfriends in high school but nothing serious. There was even a guy his freshman year of college that he liked for a little while, but he'd always felt like there were a lot of things missing. Even so, he was pretty sure that Gabriel was flirting with him.

"No you haven't.. Is there anything else I can help you with today Mr. Novak?" Sam smiled his most polite smile. Even he knew that he was being difficult at the moment, but he still couldn't have cared less.

"My brother and I are staying at the motel in town. Its the only one so I'm sure Miss Harvelle will have no trouble trying to reach me. Make sure you get her to call me, or feel free to call me yourself, I'm sure that we could find ways to entertain ourselves."

Before Sam could respond the shorter man pulled yet another sucker from his pocket and handed it to him. Sam looked suspiciously at the candy in his hand and wasn't sure if he should try to give it back or throw it away later. What type of person just randomly hands out candy to strangers?

"Thought you could use something sweet to counter all that sour you got goin on." Gabriel smirked, and made a gesture with his finger to encompass all of Sam's taller form.

With that said, he turned and walked back to his very expensive car. Sam looked down at the round ball of sugar in his hand, more confused than he'd probably ever been. He stared at the doorway for far too long considering there was no longer anyone there. Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind from what had just happened as he turned back inside.

* * *

Sam walked upstairs to see if he could find Jo to tell her about the visit, and found her lounging in her old room with Dean. It figured. She'd called Dean instead of him when she finally decided to ask for help, and Dean was the one that had received emails, even if they were rare and usually unhelpful. Sam had hardly recognised her when he'd first seen her again, her face was badly scarred by the hard life that she'd been put through. But all Sam had was assumptions, because she hadn't actually told him anything.

Sam could understand why Jo called Dean; he was pretty sure if he was in trouble, his first call would be to his big brother as well. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt that she hadn't bothered to call him. Even when they'd eventually needed his help, it had been Dean on the other end of the line asking for it. Jo had just more or less waltzed back into Sam's life without a second thought to the fact that she'd left almost a decade earlier without looking back. Jo was part of the only family Sam had ever known, and she hadn't even bothered to let them know if she was alive every now and then.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to focus on the positives. At least now, Jo was away from that asshole. She was here, relatively healthy although she could do with a couple of extra helpings at dinner for a bit. Understandably, her mental state was a little shaky after what she went through, but with her family supporting her, hopefully she'd start to heal. Sam would take an unspoken apology, if it meant he could finally get his Jo back.

"Jo someone was here asking for you, I think he was a lawyer."

Dean and Jo both jumped, as if they hadn't noticed the younger Winchester entering the room. It wasn't really surprising, considering how they could be completely enraptured with each other when they got into one of their bigger discussions. Sometimes it felt like they were communicating on a completely different mental plane to Sam: he heard the words, but it felt like he only received bits and pieces and not the whole conversation.

It made Sam miss the discussions that they used to have on the porch swing, because that was when Dean and Jo had always made the time to listen to him. It may seem a little selfish, because those meetings had been all about Sam but that wasn't why he missed them. It was the fact that he wasn't left out entirely, and he was sick of being the third wheel to the Dean and Jo show. Sometimes he felt like they were still kids; Jo and Dean running fast through the fields behind the house and him always struggling to catch up. His brother of course always made sure he got there in the end, but sometimes he missed out on the fun in the middle.

Or in this case... the murder.. maybe he shouldn't get so caught up in the details, right?

"What? Who was it?" Dean asked protectively, reaching for his knife even though the threat was already gone.

"I think he said his name was Gabriel, Novak."

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"

Jo's eyes went wide and she began to pace worriedly. Both of the Winchester men looked on in confusion, not understanding anything about the sudden change in their sister's behavior. She seemed to be in a full on panic and Sam took a step closer to her, but Dean got there first.

"It's alright, Jo. Everything's going to be okay," Dean muttered soothingly, as he wrapped his arms around her and forced her to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"He didn't seem like a bad guy. Just said he wanted to talk to you and that he and his brother were staying at the motel, " Sam offered, thinking over his interaction with the man. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd felt about the encounter, but he definitely wouldn't mind seeing the handsome stranger again. Something about Gabriel intrigued him, and he wanted to know more. The lollipop was still in his hand, and he found himself unwrapping it and slipping it into his mouth. Sugar was good in stressful situations, right?

"Oh fuck," Jo swore again.

"What's wrong? Do I need to go and chase these assholes out of town?" Dean offered, and Jo gave him a weak smile.

"Did he say which brother?" Jo asked, only slightly less nervous. Sam was pleased that she seemed at least a little calmer.

"No? Does it matter?" Sam replied.

He didn't see what was so intimidating about the small man, sure he'd seemed the kind to possess a certain kind of power in the courtroom, but it didn't feel like he was exactly threatening, and certainly not enough to scare Jo who had always been the tough girl. But then Jo definitely seemed different now, and this sudden panic was just another reminder that she wasn't the same girl that he'd grown up with. When Jo looked at him, her eyes were filled with fear.

"Gabriel Novak is Lucifer's brother."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks guys, for all the reviews, we're trying our best to get this done for ya, I'm also trying to finish up this particular section in my series, so its not been as quick as I'd like but, the fabulous Tamnation is a blessing and I couldn't ask for a better co-writer! I've been fortunate enough to have her agree to co-write something for the DCBB, and I can't wait! Hope you guys are looking forward to it as well ! xoxo- swlfangirl**

* * *

It was early the next morning, when the first knock came. Sam had been the first to get up, making coffee for everyone, so he answered the door with just a hint of sleep remaining in his eyes. The man on the doorstep was unfamiliar, and Sam had serious doubts that this man could be Gabriel's brother, unless perhaps he was adopted.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm not sure. I'm looking for Joanna Harvelle, and Dean Winchester?" the stranger replied in a serious tone.

Sam blinked himself entirely awake trying to fully register what was happening. It felt like he was stuck in that stupid movie where the guy lived the same day over again, each time changing slightly. Here he was, at the break of dawn with another stranger at his door, only this one was slightly less alluring and certainly more threatening than the last. Trying his best to take in the state of the other man's presence, he noticed the obvious details, but was still too asleep to put them together to make a whole picture.

"And you are?"

"I'm officer Victor Henriksen. I've met with them before so they should remember me."

Sam realized at that moment who the man was, but he stood his ground just as he had done with Gabriel. He drew himself up so that he was standing taller, and when he crossed his arms he knew that he looked more indomitable, even with his messy hair and morning breath. The stranger leaned back on his heels, as if he was reassessing Sam and trying not to appear affected by the towering Winchester.

"I'm not trying to be rude, and I certainly don't mean to show you any disrespect, but you do realize that you can't talk to them without their lawyer present?" There was something almost unsettling about the man, and Sam wasn't going to let him anywhere near his siblings if he could help it, cop or not.

"Oh and would that be you, Mr….?"

"Oh no, sir, not me.. I'm just a law student. Sam Winchester. I'm their brother. Would you like me to get Mr. Shurley on the phone?"

"That won't be necessary. Just tell them I'll be staying in town for a few days, hoping to wrap up some of the loose ends. If they want to talk, you can just give them my card."

Sam took the business card offered to him, and pointedly watched as the detective walked back to a black sedan parked at the end of the drive. He forced himself to give a cheery wave, but the detective didn't seem to notice. As soon as he could, Sam shut the front door and picked up his phone to call Chuck. The whole encounter, on top of everything else from the past couple of days, was enough to send off warning bells in Sam's head and he didn't even bother with a greeting when Chuck picked up.

"A cop just showed up here looking for Jo and Dean, They would have talked to him if I wasn't here, Chuck. Something needs to be done about this."

"I'll see what I can find out. Don't worry about it until I tell you there's something to worry about, but make sure you tell those two that they are not to speak to him under any circumstances, not even a hello."

"I'll make sure they know. Thanks, Chuck."

"Yeah, no worries. See ya later, Sammy."

"Dude, did you just call me Sammy?"

"Yeah, I guess I did.. huh"

"Don't…"

The conversation ended quickly, with Sam promising to educate his siblings about some of the finer points of the law. Who knew what this Victor guy was up to, but he kinda seemed to Sam like a very hungry dog with a bone that just wasn't meaty enough. They may have told the truth about that night (well the believable parts at least), but they couldn't risk Dean or Jo getting in trouble again or provoking this guy. Still, if Chuck wasn't worried then it probably wasn't anything that they couldn't handle.

* * *

Dean hadn't exactly lied to Sam and Jo when he told them he was going to the store. He'd totally swing by later on the way home. But he hated seeing Jo so scared and these Novak guys definitely had her spooked. She'd told them about how Lucifer had ranted and raved about how his brothers were a bag of dicks, particularly Michael the oldest. If Lucifer had been bad, Jo seemed to think these guys were worse. It had taken most of yesterday to get her calmed down, and he hadn't wanted to leave her alone.

She'd seemed better this morning though, and Dean decided that he needed to work out just how much of a threat these assholes were. Which was how he'd found himself trying to look casual and hanging around the cafe opposite the motel. He'd already spotted one guy coming out of the motel who'd fitted Sam's description of Gabriel. The man hadn't looked overly dangerous, but he'd been decidedly cheerful given that his brother had just died.

That was over an hour ago, and there hadn't been any sign of movement in the room since. Dean wasn't exactly sure how long he could go on sitting here without looking creepy. He knew he was already getting funny looks from a guy who sat two tables away. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Dean's part. He didn't typically notice these things, certainly not since losing Lisa, but the man was ridiculously good looking, even in a battered old trench coat. If Dean hadn't been on a mission he would have made an excuse to go over there, if nothing else just to get a closer look.

Finally, he decided he needed to make his move or go home. Sam and Jo would be looking for him, and Dean didn't really want the protective sibling speech about how he should have taken backup. His steps were calculated and precise, as he moved undetected across the joint parking lot between the cafe and the motel. He hesitated for a moment before his hand knocked on the door as if he hadn't spent the better part of his morning watching to make sure it was empty. After a momentary pause, he jiggled the knob with the small swiss army knife from his pocket until the lock reluctantly opened.

The room didn't exactly scream evil lair, but with the uniformity of the motel he didn't know what he could have foreseen. Unless they'd purposely gone out of their way to hang creepy pictures on the wall or had blood spattered on every surface he wasn't sure what to expect. Dean remembered the shift in the air when he rescued Jo, he could somehow feel the other man's malicious presence, he didn't notice anything like that here, but he couldn't be positive. Was he asking for too much when he hoped to see a gun or a knife on the nightstand? Probably, but he had always considered himself an optimistic guy.

Instead, there were two plain suitcases sat at the foot of each of the beds and a handful of papers spread across the small table. All in all, it was entirely ordinary. Dean moved towards the table to get a closer look at the stacked pages, just in case they held some clue about what the Novaks wanted from Jo. It seemed to mostly be legal documents, he supposed made sense. Sam had said Gabriel was a lawyer after all.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from literally right behind him. He turned around and the man from the cafe was maybe a foot away from him. Absently, Dean couldn't help but notice the man had the most amazing eyes. He shook his head to clear away the thoughts; they were hardly helpful right now.

"Whoa man, ever heard of personal space? My friend left something in here, and he wanted me to grab it for him." Dean already knew it was a terrible lie, but the closeness of the other man had him flustered and his mind was a complete blank.

"Your friend? Did he not provide a key for you to 'pick up his things'? You may wish to reconsider your friends if they all expect you to act in such a nefarious manner."

"Well, he's uh… got a really important meeting… and he just didn't have time to get me the key."

The shorter man tilted his head as he moved much closer into Dean's personal space bubble, even though Dean had already told him to back off. He looked at him, no that's not right, looking and what this stranger was doing were completely different things. His eyes dug into Dean so deep it felt like his soul was on display. The dark haired man stopped after just a moment before backing away a fraction, as if he'd received some sort of answer to a question that he'd never asked aloud.

"So what was it that my brother wanted? Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

Oh fuck. Dean was screwed, his body instinctively moved toward the door. His mind racing with the smaller details, this man didn't look older than Gabriel, much less Satan. If he wasn't the eldest, well obviously that made him the youngest. Jo hadn't known anything about the guy, just that Lucifer didn't talk much about him, probably because when he'd left home as a teen the younger brother was still in elementary school.

"Uh, okay look, man.. I didn't know you were Gabriel's brother.. but you have to understand that he just showed up at my doorstep yesterday and caused my sister to have an anxiety attack that I've never seen her experience before. Then today, someone else just decided to drop by and now everyone is on edge and I couldn't just sit there twiddling my thumbs. I was .. I was trying to figure out what you wanted."

"Gabriel did what?" He looked genuinely shocked.

"Uh, he came to my house ..yesterday?" Dean reaffirms.

"I'm sorry, he shouldn't have done that. I specifically asked him not to. Perhaps we can overlook your breaking and entering into my hotel room, Mr.."

"Dean, just call me Dean."

"Fine, Dean it is. However, you should know that I am a US Marshall and if I see such behavior from you again, I will not hesitate to alert the local authorities."

Dean knew there was something about the man that said cop, he should have noticed it sooner. In his defense, in a pair of faded jeans and worn boots underneath the oversized brown coat, the man's attire screamed cowboy more than a cop. The stranger's hair was slightly matted to his head, as if he was missing the white cowboy hat that Dean had noticed hanging on the bedpost.

"Of course, I'll just get out of your hair then, Marshall…" Dean turned to leave, but there was still something itching in his gut, and he still hadn't got what he'd come for. Dean couldn't ignore the potential threat to his family, even if logically he probably should have cut his losses and run.

"Actually I'm going to just go ahead and press my luck, but since you're here and I'm here, mind telling me what you want from my sister?"

"Despite Gabriel's somewhat rash decisions, he is a fair and decent man. We...well I, wanted to set up a meeting with her lawyer present. A safe place that would let her protect herself, but hopefully give us some of the answers we want. The situation you have been put in with Miss Harvelle, is quite similar to our own. Only our brother is dead; anything she can tell us would help."

Dean knew that the details of the fight with the devil weren't public knowledge, and even the family shouldn't have been able to track down Jo. It was fairly obvious that the man must have used his job as a US Marshall to gather some of the information on the case, but not enough to have completely understood what had happened. He couldn't blame him for that; if something happened to Sammy or Jo, he'd have done worse he was sure. So he nodded his head and gestured with his hand as if he were tipping an imaginary cowboy hat, and walked out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I know you guys are chomping at the bit to get some more of Cas, consider this a peace offering for his early exclusion! xoxox reviews are your friends, so ...you know! love them, write them! and leave them for me to find lol

swlfangirl

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Castiel was sitting at his desk when he'd received the call. Being a US Marshal apparently afforded you some perks, even if they were things like immediate notification in the event of your brother's death. He had to still be in shock, because he actually found that to be fairly humorous. It had been at least twenty years since he'd seen or heard from Lucifer, and Castiel could barely remember him and without photographs he doubted he could even recall what he looked like. He supposed he'd given up hope of having him back long ago, but finding out he was dead was something he hadn't expected..

He gathered his things from his desk and nearly stood, before glancing back at the blackened computer screen staring back at him. If he wanted to find out what happened he'd have to look himself; the local authorities in whatever podunk town they'd found him probably wouldn't like a US Marshal asking too many questions about their investigation.

When he searched the database for information, bleak would have been a generous definition of what he found. The back alley way of doing things seemed more promising in theory, searching through news articles, police statements, and making a few calls. Being a US Marshal tended to open all sorts of doors when you're looking for information, but even still the only details from the case that he could uncover were the names of two suspects, and that they were claiming self defense. With a little more digging he was able to find an address for Dean Winchester and Joanna Harvelle.

It was only thirty minutes later when he walked into Gabriel's office. He knew how his brother had felt about their older sibling, and there wasn't any love lost between them. Lucifer had left home after a fierce argument with Michael, and there'd been no word from him since. However even taking that into account, Castiel didn't want anyone else to be the one to give Gabe the news. So he sat in the plush seat beside the closed door, waiting for Gabriel to have the time to see him. He didn't have to wait long; the door swung open and his much shorter brother stepped through, wearing his personally trademarked look of smugness.

When he broke the news to Gabe, the other man barely reacted. He just took the new information in his stride, almost as if he wasn't surprised in the least. But then, he did something completely unexpected…he stood up from his chair and demanded a road trip. Castiel would have thought his brother had gone completely crazy, but he'd had thirty years of previous experience with the man and his eccentricities. Gabriel never ceased to amaze him, with the constant pranking, and never ending surprises, he should honestly have seen this coming.

Against his better judgment, the shorter man convinced him to drive nearly thirteen hours and through three states to get information from people he wasn't supposed to know about, let alone talk to. They'd filled Gabriel's car up with a couple of weeks worth of clothes, drinks, snacks, and eventually fuel before leaving town. It was just barely an hour later when they made their first stop. Castiel looked at Gabe in confusion as he pulled off the exit ramp.

"You cannot seriously need the restroom already, Gabriel."

"Not everything is a necessity, but if you must know this would definitely qualify."

Castiel rolled his eyes in disbelief, but continued to sit quietly in the passenger seat. He'd thought the cherry red convertible was such a ridiculously expensive choice at first, but the longer he'd been seated against the soft interior, the more it seemed he'd been a little rash in assuming that ego was the only reason his brother had picked it. He would admit that it had been very freeing to feel the wind as it whipped through his hair, he would have almost compared it to horseriding, in the way it felt as if he were flying. However, nothing could really have compared to the experience he'd always loved, that moment when his black stallion galloped across the field with the ground falling away beneath him.

Instead of stopping at the first restaurant, gas station, or even convenience store that they saw, they passed several which only added to Castiel's confusion. He'd even seen two auto mechanic shops, so he assumed there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. He nearly just asked his brother what he was doing again, but he knew his efforts would be fruitless. So he just leaned back in his seat instead, and closed his eyes to wait for Gabriel to decide to stop the car.

They pulled up to a house, or what used to be one; it could have easily been condemned in it's current state. He thought for sure Gabe had lost it, or signed them up for one of those weird reality tv shows of his or something. One episode of Survivor was enough to teach him that he wanted nothing to do with the genre. Gabriel had already stepped outside and moved up the shaky porch, before Castiel made the decision to get out of the car.

"Gabriel, what are you doing? There's police tape around the door frame..."

That's when it hit him, they were at Lucifer's house. All these years gone, and his brother had just been a short one hour drive away, but he'd never called, or visited, or anything. Then he thought back over the information he'd found on his computer and not once did it mention an address, which raised the question: how in hell Gabriel knew where to go?

"How did you know Gabe?"

The question seemed simple in nature, but it was loaded with all of the resentment and loneliness Castiel had ever felt towards Lucifer, even he knew that. Gabe, who had always been his favorite brother and the only one he really liked spending time with, had been hiding things from him. By the look on Gabe's face, more than enough of his questions had been answered, and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to share the mysterious information. Clearly, he thought he was protecting his younger brother, and Castiel wasn't sure if he should be angry or grateful. Gabriel wasn't one to keep his mouth closed about anything, certainly not something he felt was important, which suggested that whatever secrets he'd been keeping were going to be unpleasant to deal with.

"Relax, Cassie, I just want to scope the place out."

Wasn't that just like his brother? Completely ignoring his warnings and dodging the harder question he hadn't wanted to answer, all at the same time. Gabe reminded him a bit of a magician with the way he would stand center stage, bigger than life, show his hand and all his tricks, and still end up distracting the audience long enough to accomplish what he'd wanted. He was a master at slight of hand tricks. It was one of the many things that made him such an incredible attorney. It wasn't until Castiel had returned from Iraq with an honorable discharge that he'd had the privilege to see his brother in the courtroom, and that's certainly what it was. It was nothing short of brilliant the way the smaller man commanded his presence and had the jury eating out of the palm of his hand.

He followed Gabriel through the door because at that point he no longer had plausible deniability, so he may as well help. He found broken glass smashed into nearly every surface which suggested signs of a struggle, at least at first...but once he'd taken a longer look he realized they were all vodka bottles and unless his older brother could drink an entire liquor store, they'd surely been broken at different points in time and just not been cleaned or picked up.

He moved to a different room and found a small picture, no bigger than his thumb, of a beautiful blonde girl staring at Lucifer with admiration and love in her eyes. He slipped the photo in his pocket before he turned and spotted a laptop left on the floor. Castiel was seriously starting to believe that whoever was running this investigation was totally inept. Who left such a crucial pieces of evidence behind at a crime scene?

He disregarded the normal procedures, because clearly the police had done the same, and he opened the screen and pushed the power button. Nothing happened, it seemed evident that at the very least the battery was dead, but that could easily be fixed with fifty bucks or a Marshal's badge. Luckily enough, he just happened to have both. Castiel finished his search quickly, not wanting to stay in the oppressive atmosphere that seemed to permeate through the house, and decided to wait for Gabe outside.

Gabriel came out of the house a moment later, with a look of mild disappointment showing briefly on his face. Of course as soon as he saw Castiel he put on that fake smile that he always seemed to wear when he thought someone was watching. They left without much hesitation; there was nothing really left to see.

As he slid into the passenger seat, Castiel mentioned that he wanted to stop somewhere and pick up a charger for the laptop so that he could hopefully gain more knowledge about what had happened. He may have said the last part of the statement with a little more petulance than what he normally would have, but the fact that Gabe was still keeping him in the dark was really starting to work its way inside his regular sunny disposition.

They hit the road again for another few hours. Castiel had to content himself with flipping through a magazine Gabe had picked up at the gas station because his only other option was to stare at the endless highway in front of them. Finally, they stopped for dinner nearly halfway into their journey while they debated if they should get a hotel room for the night, because Gabriel refused to let Castiel drive his precious car. He couldn't see what the big deal was, but the older brother could not be persuaded. No one touched Lola but him.

The town they were in pretty much the middle of nowhere, hardly the type of area to support a booming tourism industry, so the motel they pulled into wasn't anything fancy. Gabriel complained a lot, but cheered up immensely when he discovered the fully stocked mini-bar and an array of chocolate bars. Castiel really couldn't care one way or the other. He'd stayed in worse places; as long as it had a bed and an outlet for him to plug in his newly acquired charger, he'd deal till morning.

Lucifer's laptop booted up, and Castiel was surprised to find that there was no login or password required. It just booted up to the desktop, a picture of a blonde girl with her arms wrapped around an older man who must be Lucifer. His brother either hadn't thought he'd need to protect his information or he didn't care if anyone found what was on there. It was … unusual. Still, it made Castiel's job easier at least. Settling down for a long evening, he began to sort through the information, starting with the internet history.

It took several hours. The longer he sat there, the more disturbed he became. Lucifer seemed hooked on gambling sites and had numerous large cash withdrawals from his bank. His internet searches for weapons and a bizarre obsession with the occult. It reminded Castiel of the types of people he tracked down for a living rather than his half-remembered older brother.

Then there were the emails. Lucifer seemed to use his email infrequently, clearly preferring less trackable means of communicating. But there were several saved emails from a Dean Winchester addressed to Jo Harvelle that had somehow been forwarded to Lucifer's email. Castiel very much doubted that it was a coincidence that those were the names of the two suspects in the murder case.

But reading through them, all he saw was a worried brother trying to get information on his sister. There was no mention of Lucifer and the emails were sent months, even years apart. Each email was increasingly desperate for information, but there was still so much hope. Like Dean had absolutely no doubt that Jo would come home eventually.

Castiel envied him. He'd never been that close with his siblings. Not even Gabe, who'd wander in and out of Castiel's life whenever he felt like it.

But then he'd opened the last email. Instead of the hopeful letters that he'd been reading, the whole thing ached with a terrible loneliness. There was a sadness to the letter that resonated with something inside him. He didn't know why, but he felt a sense of recognition; as if even though they'd never met, Castiel somehow knew this man.

The desire to find out what had happened to Lucifer was even stronger, but now it was mixed with a sense of uncertainty. When Gabriel had first suggested this road trip, Castiel had had a half-imagined plan that they were going to seek justice for Lucifer's death. But it was slowly dawning on him that this wasn't a clear cut case, and he didn't think that Lucifer was an innocent victim.

"DId you find anything useful?" Gabe asked after a bit, clearly getting bored of whatever trashy television show he'd been watching.

"Perhaps. I think we really need to talk to Miss Harvelle," Castiel said still looking at the email. He couldn't bring himself to mention Dean to his brother, though. If Gabriel was going to keep secrets from him, that was fine, but he was going to keep this to himself as well. He could tell his brother's curiosity was growing. Out of a sudden fear of discovery, Castiel forwarded the email to himself and then quickly deleted it, his mind more at ease once he knew Gabe would never see it.

"Let me have it, maybe I can work my magic on it and find out something you missed."

Just as he'd suspected, Gabriel wasn't one to beat around the bush if it was something he wanted. He shut the email window down and politely passed it over. He thought about the words over and over in his mind as he laid against the uncomfortable hardness of his mattress. He didn't have long enough to memorize it, but he knew the way that he had felt, when reading it was uncommon, to say the least. There was something about Dean Winchester that made him feel like he was missing something, something profound.


	11. Chapter 11

After a very tiresome trip, alone, with Gabriel _in a car_, Castiel was relieved to have reached their destination. His brother had insisted on stopping every time they passed a visible Krispy Creme, Baskin Robbins, or Starbucks. They should have had less than half of their original thirteen hour trip left after stopping for the night, but Gabriel's constant breaks had turned the five hours into nearly that over again.

As soon as they'd arrived, he'd made the excuse that he didn't want to watch his brother overdose on sugar (which would have made anyone ill), so that he could sneak away to the library and quickly print out a copy of what were quickly becoming his favorite words. The email between Dean and his sister just resonated with him, striking at the loneliness and longing that he'd felt since he was an awkward kid, all alone. He drifted off to sleep, with thoughts of there being someone out there who knew how he felt, what it was like to be so alone even when you weren't, someone who could understand him in a way no one else had.

The next morning, Castiel woke up early as always. Normally he'd let Gabriel sleep in but he wanted to get started on things, he wanted to find out everything he could and then try to contact the Harvelle/Winchester lawyer. He so badly wanted to talk to them, but he didn't want to endanger his job or their case either. After his brother finally decided to crawl his ass out of bed, Castiel sent him for breakfast hoping he could make a few calls while he was out. Eventually, it worked and Gabe was gone, he unfolded the paper and read it just one more time before picking up his phone.

When Castiel reached out to the primary investigator on the case, he was informed that Officer Heinrikson had taken leave almost immediately after the incident, which was suspicious at the very least. Things got even more strange when he'd asked his partner at the office to figure out what happened, it was nearly 12 hours before he heard back. His partner told him that the detective wasn't on leave because he chose to be, but because his colleagues had begun to think he was obsessing over the suspects, saying there was more to it all. By that point the day was almost over, and they were still no closer to finding out what had happened between Lucifer and the two siblings. It was a long night, so Castiel turned in hoping to catch a few hours of sleep.

The next morning he was nice and decided to let Gabriel sleep off the sugar he'd ingested once he returned to their room the night before. However, his own stomach growled ferociously almost as soon as he was fully awake, so he left hoping to find some pancakes and coffee, and maybe if he was feeling generous he'd buy something sweet to fuel another bout of sugar heroine for Gabe. There was a small cafe across the road from the motel that looked half decent, and was just opening for the morning. He sat down at the table closest to the counter, out of respect for the waitress and not making her walk any further than necessary to serve a single patron.

He got a text from Gabriel only seconds after he'd set himself down, telling him that he would get his own breakfast and he was headed out of the motel. Castiel was a little concerned that Gabriel had been awake more than five seconds and still hadn't drunk a bottle of maple syrup or something equally able to send him into a diabetic coma. Which, okay, may have been a slight over exaggeration of his brother's sweet tooth but thinking about the last two days dealing with a hyperactive Gabe in an enclosed environment still made him twitch. It didn't bother him long though, because the waitress handed him coffee and a gorgeous, green-eyed man walked through the door.

Castiel had a bit of a staring problem. Normally, it didn't manifest itself in uncontrollable ways but the man was just so damn attractive. It was like having the sun standing right in front of you and not being able to close your eyes or look away, no matter how badly you wanted to or how much damage was being done. No one could have just ignored that type of beauty. It wasn't until the waitress had sat his second cup of coffee down that he'd been able to look away.

When he turned back the man seemed to be staring directly at his hotel room. Maybe he was imagining it? But sure enough the man watched as Gabriel left the room and kept watching until Gabe disappeared at the end of the street, leaving Castiel more than a little confused. Did this mysterious stranger with gorgeous green eyes, and the build of a Greek God have some kind of interest in Gabe? Surely not, but wasn't that just his luck? Come to a strange town where they'd never met anyone, and Gabriel could always sniff out the most beautiful and eligible men or women for that matter. Luckily Castiel had never been cursed or blessed (depending on how you look at it) with the problematic dating style of the bi-sexual. He'd had very few encounters with women; they didn't seem to understand or like him very well. It just hadn't seemed likely that he'd eventually have found one who was interested in being a long term part of his life, and he was not one to take relationships or sex lightly.

When the second cup he'd ordered went cold he knew he should leave but the beautiful green eyes were still watching the door to his motel room as if he were waiting for something and Castiel was quite intrigued as to what it could be. So he ordered another stack of pancakes and chuckled at how much his brother would have teased him for doing so. He had nearly finished the entire second stack before the other man stood to leave, It was certainly lucky that he was in view of the same large window, because he saw the man quickly and somewhat clumsily make his way over to the hotel. It seemed he'd made no attempt to hide his blatant disregard for the law as he jiggled a pocket knife in the key hole until the door to Castiel's room opened.

Castiel quickly paid his tab and left a generous tip for the waitress who'd had to watch him stare at someone else his entire visit, but never mentioned it. He nearly reached for his gun in his shoulder strap holster, but the beautiful man didn't appear overly aggressive or dangerous, and even if he were wrong about that… well, he was perfectly capable of defending himself with his hands. He really didn't like using the weapon, unless it was absolutely necessary.

He walked through the open door frame undetected, this man was not nearly as covert as he seemed to think. Glancing at the door, Castiel could tell that it was hardly the first lock the man had picked, but the lack of caution or even a decent lookout. If breaking and entering was something the man did often, he'd have been locked behind bars a lot sooner.

"What are you doing?" Castiel asked as he closed the distance between himself and the stranger.

The man whipped his head around as if someone had shot him, and Castiel's heartbeat increased rapidly. The green eyes staring back at him were even more alluring than he'd thought, the chiseled jaw line perfectly formed with just a hint of morning stubble. That alone, was enough to drive him crazy, but that wasn't all there was. The smell of this man was intoxicating, Castiel couldn't quite place it, but it was a strong, fragrant cologne mixed with testosterone, motor oil, leather, and sweat.

"Whoa man, ever heard of personal space? My friend left something in here, and he wanted me to grab it for him."

The soldier, and the Marshal in him knew immediately the man was lying to him. Of course, it wasn't just instinct. They'd only been in town a little over a day and not even Gabe was stupid enough to trust someone that fast, especially with their brother's death looming over them. The man wasn't hiding it too well, either. To be honest, he'd have to admit that he'd heard better lies from children, including but not limited to Gabriel, because he could always be counted as a child. But Castiel found himself oddly amused by the lies, and he was curious to see how far the guy was willing to go to hide his true purpose, whatever that was.

"Your friend? Did he not provide a key for you to 'pick up his things'? You may wish to reconsider your friends if they all expect you to act in such a nefarious manner."

Even Castiel would admit that his words hadn't sounded quite the way he wanted them to but he would stand by the statement. He moved in closer; appraising the man to the best of his ability. He couldn't sense any evil or darkness in him the way that he always managed to see in others. Even Gabriel had a little bit, he just hid it well under layers of hyperactivity and a wide smirk. It was odd, the way the man had eluded his senses or maybe he was just genuinely a good wanted so badly to believe that, even if it defied all logic and the present circumstances. He backed away slightly, and gave the man a little space.

"So what was it that my brother wanted? Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

He was fairly certain Gabriel hadn't sent the man here, considering he hadn't left until after the stranger arrived at the cafe across the street. Still, he thought it would be wise to give him a chance to explain. Castiel listened intently as the beautiful pink lips spilled the truth, finally. It was what he'd been waiting for and he was not disappointed, the man told him how he was trying to protect his sister, and wait a minute did he just say that Gabriel went to his house?

"Gabriel did what?"

"Uh, he came to my house yesterday?" the man replied hesitantly.

His mind was reeling over what his brother had done behind his back. It was one thing for Gabe to keep secrets, or withhold information if he thought he truly needed to. This however, felt like blatant disrespect. He'd known Castiel's terms for being there, and he'd still gone against his wishes. This was more betrayal than he'd ever felt from the sibling he thought he could trust, and it pushed him to the end of his rope.

"I'm sorry, he shouldn't have done that. I specifically asked him not to. Perhaps we can overlook your breaking and entering into my hotel room, Mr.."

"Dean, just call me Dean."

Castiel sucked in a quick breath. Of course this was Dean, why hadn't he seen it earlier? The man was positively gorgeous that's why, he'd assumed someone that beautiful would not feel the aching emptiness he'd felt himself, or that he'd read in the letters. It took a second for him to regain his composure, finding that even with his superior military training, even though he'd never flinched in the face of some of the most terrifying things anyone could imagine, face to face with the man of his dreams Castiel Novak was speechless. Eventually he found his voice and continued the conversation, despite his unwillingness to let it come to an end.

"Fine, Dean it is. However, you should know that I am a US Marshal and if I see such behavior from you again, I will not hesitate to alert the local authorities."

"Of course, I'll just get out of your hair then, Marshal…"

He saw the man pause and contemplate his next words. Something about his unwillingness to escape the situation he'd just received the free pass from was admirable. It should have made Castiel angry that Dean wasn't taking him seriously, but instead he found it quite brave. Possibly even heroic.

"Actually I'm going to just go ahead and press my luck, but since you're here and I'm here, mind telling me what you want from my sister?"

He really hadn't wanted to answer this question this way. He'd wanted to do it professionally but his brother had already made that impossible, so he decided that there were no other options at this point. He may as well come clean with the man. The decision had nothing to do with the fact that those candy apple green eyes were staring at him, full of hope at the slight chance that he'd receive some answers.

"Despite Gabriel's somewhat rash decisions, he is a fair and decent man. We...well I, wanted to set up a meeting with her lawyer present. A safe place that would let her protect herself, but hopefully give us some of the answers we want. The situation you have been put in with Miss Harvelle, is quite similar to our own. Only our brother is dead; anything she can tell us would help."

Castiel did his best to sound understanding, even he could not deny the very sure possibility that not only was his brother not at all what he'd expected, but there was a fair chance that he'd been mistreating the young Harvelle girl. If he were spying on her emails, there were likely a variety of other things he'd put her through. He watched as the beautiful stranger, as Dean, made a gesture with his hand and walked out the door. He immediately felt an ache inside, and did everything he could think of to shake it off. Including calling Gabriel, the first moment he had a chance to think straight.

When he heard the happy go lucky voicemail greeting, he got even more angry and left a quick message to come back to the room as soon as possible. Everything was about to get incredibly serious and Gabriel was going to have some explaining to do. Castiel didn't want to bring any more harm or stress to the beautiful Winchester man, or his sister, and in order to do that he needed to know what his brother was hiding, He was certainly going to get the information from him one way or another.


	12. Chapter 12

_**The lights are low and the room's so cold that Jo can see her breath escaping, but not so cold that she actually goes numb. She feels like she's drunk an entire bottle of bourbon, the room fuzzy and spinning out of focus every time she tilts her head. She closes her eyes to make it stop, but her droopy eyelids pop open quickly when she hears his voice. He's taunting her: she hears it so often now it feels like she'll never escape. **_

"_**There you are, Sunshine. I was wondering when you'd come back to me."**_

_**The words from his mouth are like the venom of a snake bite, traveling through her bloodstream and leaving a trail of poison and the taste of bitterness behind. The words rip through her mind like his sharp teeth tearing through her skin. This man was truly evil and she could feel it pouring through her like some sort of contamination.**_

"_**You do understand how real I am? Don't you, Sunshine? You tell yourself that this is all a dream, an illusion you can wake up from, but you can't escape me, Joanna. I am real and I won't stop until you're mine again, just one last time. Your body has always been my weakness; those gorgeous brown eyes, just the right combination of blonde and brown locks, and those perfect supple breasts. Mmm, its almost like I can still feel them in my hands, feel you react when I twist and squeeze your taut rosy nipples. I just want to have you again, just one more time sunshine."**_

"_**NEVER!" Jo screams loudly, but it's not enough to wake her up. He's reaching for her, wrapping ice cold hands around her arms even as she squirms and tries to wriggle away. The grip is like iron, and when she kicks out her feet find nothing but air. **_

"_**You should take me more seriously, sweetheart. You may be sleeping, but this is not some hollow fantasy. I will have you, Joanna. Just wait and see," he says teasingly as he strokes the side of her face, leaning in closer for a kiss. **_

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Jo jerked awake, her cheek still tingled from his touch and she could still feel the chill of the nightmarish room. She looked to the clock to discover she'd actually gotten almost six full hours sleep, which was certainly more than she'd been used to recently. Nightmares about Lucifer were hardly new, as every day she'd spent with him had revealed some twisted perversion. She'd spent the last twelve months in fear, trying to build the courage to call for help. But the past two nights had brought none of the relief she'd thought she'd feel once she was finally free. Instead the nightmares had gotten worse, becoming sickeningly realistic as Luc's corpse promises to get his retribution.

She laid quietly in her bed for a long moment, trying to stop the pounding of her heart and the way her hands were shaking before she headed downstairs. She really wanted the caffeine that, knowing Sam, was probably already brewed and waiting for her in the kitchen. But if she headed down too soon and Dean or Sam found out that she wasn't sleeping well, she'd have to talk about it, and that was the last way she wanted to spend her morning.

Her mind drifted as she thought about what her Dream Devil had said, his insistence that he wasn't some nightmarish spectre, as ridiculous as that seemed. Of course he wasn't real, she knew that. It was just a really bad, really intense dream. That she couldn't seem to stop having. She was there when the lifeless body was moved from the trunk of the car, she witnessed the dead eyes reawakening after the spell, she felt the super human strength of his hands wrapped around her neck, but she also remembered feeling his grasp loosen against her throat when the crowbar smashed into his skull. There was no way of faking that kind of dead, and he wasn't coming back. She just needed to stay calm and go on with her life, and pray that eventually the night terrors would stop.

When she was able, Jo made her way downstairs, and was surprised to find that she was the first one up. She quickly put on a pot of coffee, and felt decidedly more steady after her first mug of the heavenly elixir. She even felt up to making breakfast. Those six hours felt like an eternity compared to the three hours she'd topped out at over the last week. Her second cup of hot caffeine effectively warmed her up, as she prepared the bacon, eggs, and toast. The boys were up and seated at the table quite impatiently before it was all finished. She smiled to herself. Her family was the one thing that could keep her grounded, could make her feel like everything wasn't falling apart, and she'd really missed that.

As soon as their plates were cleaned, the boys went their own separate ways: Sam to do research, and Dean making some excuse about shopping and errands. Jo thought he might be going to practice his craft and didn't want to admit that he'd let himself get rusty. But Jo had seen the way he was fumbling on some of his spells when they worked their protection magic for the house. She'd done a few things over the years, nothing drastic but she hadn't let her skills go to was incredibly grateful for that lately, it seemed she was going to need every bit of power she could muster.

Jo kept herself busy, trying to push any thought of Lucifer from her mind. She practiced her own skills; sitting on the couch as she made the various household implements conduct their own housework. When Sam reappeared out of the library, she was almost smiling. Sam flicked a cushion at her with his own magic and she allowed herself to laugh. By the time Dean came back from his errands with a rather thoughtful expression across his face, all of Jo's earlier cleaning had been undone by the impromptu magic fight.

They were considering lunch options when the doorbell rang. All three of them were immediately tense and looked at each other. It was clear that they weren't expecting anyone, not really, and Jo had a sudden chilling thought.

"What if it's one of the Novaks?" she asks, feeling completely unable to even contemplate handling Lucifer's brothers. He'd made them sound like they were worse than he was. Both Sam and Dean stood quickly, moving towards the door so fast that their shoulders bumped as they both tried to walk through the kitchen doorway at the same time. Jo trailed after them, a sense of dread building in her stomach but the man talking to her brothers wasn't one of Luc's siblings.

Instead, she was confronted by the police officer who had interrogated her and Dean on the night of Lucifer's death. Somehow, he looked more vicious and intimidating, like he'd been doing steroids. Hell, maybe he had. Jo was not one to judge people for what they did. It wasn't like she was in any position to claim innocence, what with killing a man, twice, or well at least conspiring to do so. Still, there was something in his eyes when he looked at her that was almost predatory and sent an icy shiver straight through her.

Something metal at Officer Henrickson's waist caught the glare from the sun. The light was almost blinding, but Jo recognized the shape and the dread deepened. How had Henrickson got it? Had he taken it from Lucifer's car? Jo was fairly sure it should be locked away in evidence somewhere. The last time she'd seen that blade, it had been pressed against her own throat and each beat of her pulse could have been her last. Seeing the knife here, at her family home where she should be safe, made her weak in the knees and her head felt like it was spinning. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, she reached her hand out to steady herself against the banister of the staircase.

"Where...where did you get that?" she stuttered a little but the words came out. Sam and Dean caught the distress in her voice and moved a little bit closer, conveniently putting themselves between Jo and the officer. Jo barely noticed, feeling ridiculously exposed under the policeman's gaze.

"I'm sorry, where did I get what, Miss Harvelle?" His head tilted in a way that was distressingly familiar. He knew exactly what she was talking about, but for some reason he was toying with her.

"The blade, the Angel Blade." Her body instinctively moved away from him.

"Oh this? Let's just say I got it from an old friend" he said, pulling the knife free from his belt and twirling it in a familiar twisting motion that she'd seen a million times before. For a second she could have sworn Henrickson's eyes flickered an icy blue, but they were back to brown before she could voice her distress. She wanted to scream out that there was something very wrong about everything that had been happening, but she couldn't find the words. At least not words that would convince anyone that she wasn't just imagining it or sleep deprived or that she hadn't crossed the line into full-on crazy.

She almost passed out, her body fading from stress and a week's worth of exhaustion that the sleep she'd had just wasn't able to make up for. It was hard to make out the words that her brothers were saying, but she was fairly sure that they were asking the man to leave and probably not being overly polite as they slammed the door in his face. Winchesters might not be the most courteous men in the world sometimes but they certainly were the most protective.

Once the cop had left things eased a bit in her mind but it still wasn't a fun place to be. She had to be missing something because she kept trying to draw webs between facts, the series of suspicious coincidences that kept occurring, and the disturbing dreams that seemed to bleed into her waking hours, and nothing made sense. Lucifer's knife, the officer's predatory attitude and the way that he handled the blade. But it wasn't just the officer. It was the dreams, the bottle of Luc's favorite booze randomly appearing, and the fact that Jo just could not shake the feeling that someone had been watching her, waiting for her to slip.

Jo couldn't help but feel like the air in the room had suddenly disappeared and she clutched at the wall as she forced herself to breathe through the waves of panic gripping her. Of course she was scared, anyone in her situation would be. But Dean and Sam were both there, crowding into her space as they tried to work out what was wrong. They had seen the terror-stricken look on her face, and she'd have done anything to have hidden it better.

"Jo, what's going on? What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"Nothin, I just got a little woozy, that's all."

"Jo, you do know that we can see you, we know you're scared, please just tell us what's going on or at least how we can help." Sam added

"Seriously guys, back off. I'm fine, with everything that went down, I don't know what you expect from me. I love you guys, I do, but right now, just … just leave me the hell alone."

She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, but she couldn't take it back and had to watch the way Sam and Dean both pulled back as if she'd caused physical pain. Lucifer's mocking laughter filled the back of her mind, because he'd always known she was poison, infecting even the most beloved in her family. Her body almost voluntarily threw up at the thought, and she felt the acid burning her throat but she quickly swallowed it down before it reached her mouth. The man was haunting enough when he was alive, did he really need to keep it up even after his death? She groaned, choking on the apologies that would only sound hollow as she pushed past the two Winchesters.

"I'm gonna go lay down. Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep last night."

She laughs as she spits the words out, considering last night was the most rest she'd gotten in a long time. She wasn't exactly happy about the prospect of falling back to sleep but she needed to try.

"Jo, you're not really mad.. are you?" Dean gently grabbed her wrist before she moved out of reach.

"No, D. Just really fucking stressed and exhausted, you know? I'll be alright," she offered him a small smile, but she shook his hand off her arm and moved through the house towards her room. She hoped she hadn't lied to him.

The covers were cool against her skin as she crawled back into bed, laying there for a few moments with her eyes closed but trying everything she could imagine to keep herself awake. She tried to hide the instant relief that hit her when she felt the familiar dip in the bed beside her. His arms wrapped around her waist and she felt safe: Dean would always protect her.

"Thanks D."

"Shh..sleep now Jo, I'll be here if you need me."

* * *

_**She lay there cold, empty, and alone for what felt like an eternity. Her body screaming for heat, her mind still hazy as always, and her teeth chattering. She hopes and dreads the voice she knows is coming. She never wants to hear it again, but the solitude is unbearable and she's never liked being alone. Jo hated having only her thoughts to entertain her, and as ironic as it was, that's usually where she found herself, roaming the dark corners of her mind as anything and everything seemed to pass her by. **_

_**Eventually she hears it; empty, soulless, and full of evil. The serpent's bite as vicious and poisonous as it has been before, it was as if the sting only deepened each time, causing even more agony than the last. Instead of one wound there seemed to be thousands, radiating pain and suffering through every pore of her body. The reality of these nightmares had her wondering how she'd actually survived any of them. **_

"_**Do you believe me now sunshine? Did you see how real I was today? I could show you again if you'd let me. Sink myself into you so deep until you're quivering and screaming my name. What do you say, sweetheart?"**_

"_**Fuck off, you asshole," Jo says, even as she feels his hands grab at her wrists with enough strength to bruise. **_

"_**Why are you resisting me? You never have before. Always such a willing whore, begging to please your superiors. I wonder what your family would say if they could see what you really are, see the way you used to pray for me to save you. Wouldn't it be easier to give in now, and spare them the pain of seeing your humiliation?"**_

_**Jo feels like gagging, or possibly throwing up all over the dead bastard. "I'm not doing anything for you. You're dead, and none of this is real."**_

"_**Are you so certain, sweetheart? I thought you saw just what I could do earlier, but I'm sure another demonstration can be arranged. I know for a fact that Victor would love to take a piece out of that pretty Winchester sleeping next to you. You see I've gotten to know our friendly police officer quite well of late, and he's always had a thing for the pretty ones. Vic wants to slice into him so badly and keep him screaming for hours, somewhat like a science experiment."**_

"_**No!" Jo screamed in her mind but it came out more of a whimper than she'd liked. **_

"_**It's your choice, sunshine. I'll leave Victor alone, even leave your Winchester boys alone, all you gotta do is let me inside one last time. Refuse me and I'll tear your world apart piece by piece until you a lonely, forgotten, shell of the bitch you once were, clutching at the tattered strands of your sanity. I'll never leave, you'll never find peace until you give me what I want. Just say yes, and I'll let them be. Just one little word, babygirl, and everyone will live."**_

_**The acid was burning her throat again, she could feel it pushing to the surface, but she'd do anything to protect her boys, just as they'd do for her. If saying yes was what this psychopath needed to leave them alone, she'd fucking suffer through it and move on. It wasn't going to be fun, but she was willing to do whatever it took.**_

"_**Fine, just .. get it over with," she growled, her fighting nature coming back slowly through the fear and disgust.**_

"_**Oh no, I need you to say the word Joanna, Say YES."**_

"_**Yes, you fucking asshole, just do it already!"**_

* * *

Dean woke up to a hand stroking across his stomach in a more suggestive way than he was used to. His eyes fluttered open quickly to see Jo there smiling back at him. He backed away slowly, not understanding what was happening.

"Jo? What are you doing?"

"Oh come on, Deanie. You know we aren't REALLY family, tell me you don't look at this gorgeous body of mine and get a raging hardon for it." she said as her hand slid down further, bordering a very dangerous territory for their familial boundaries.

Dean jerked her hand away quickly jumped off the bed, his mind doing everything he could to make excuses for what had just happened. He thought of how Jo had nearly passed out earlier, and now this out of character behavior? Maybe she really was getting sick? Maybe there'd been something more wrong than they'd realized. How could they have possibly been so stupid to just let it go like that?

"Dean, Dean, Dean, come back to bed handsome, I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

"SAMMY!" he yelled, hoping that his intelligent brother would have some sort of non lethal remedy to the situation.

"You're not Jo. I know you're not my sister, so who the fuck are you?"

"Well aren't you a clever boy, and here I thought you were just a pretty face."

"Dean, DEAN!" Sam yelled, as he banged hard against the door.

"Playtime is over, Dean. I promised Sunshine I wouldn't hurt you. Well, unless you're stupid enough to get in my way of course, then I'll rip you apart. But until that happens, I've got some family business to attend to."

There was a flicker of recognition in Dean's eyes, when he'd heard the nickname. His entire being ached as Jo's body climbed out the window just as Sam busted through the door and stood beside him. Together, they watched their sister descend down the trellis, the same way she had all those years ago when she left.


	13. Chapter 13

To his credit, Gabriel had already entertained himself for far longer than Castiel had expected. Majority of the time, the older man acted like the younger brother. He was easily restless and bored of things quickly, . It was not an easy job to keep him sated, even more difficult in a small room, in a small town.

"I wanna go see the moose-man again!"

"Gabriel, I'm certain no one would enjoy being referred to that way. Why do you want to see this man again? Isn't he the brother of the man who killed Lucifer?"

Castiel cursed himself the second the words left his mouth. He knew exactly how hypocritical it was for him to say that when his mood had perked up immediately at the idea of seeing Dean again. He scraped his nails through his hair and turned his head away as a sign of exasperation, only to truly hide the blush on his cheeks as he thought about the gorgeous man that was standing in his motel room earlier. Luckily, Gabe appeared to be none the wiser, more focussed on his own boredom than his brothers hypocritical inner turmoil.

"Castiel, we didn't come here to sit around and watch crappy daytime tv. The least we can do is try to approach them again. The one I met didn't seem _that_ unreasonable, a little sour and that whole overprotective gig, but he had kind eyes. At the very worst they'll just tell us to leave," Gabriel said, in the closest thing to a serious voice that he could manage.

"Fine, Just please don't harass them any further, I get the feeling that there's more than we know to what's going on...well more than I know," he said with a fair amount of disdain. Gabe didn't look at all remorseful at leaving Castiel out of the loop, just smirking at his victory and grabbing Lola's keys.

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, they pulled up the steep hill and into the drive of a large house with a beautiful, expansive, wooden porch. Gabriel led the way because he'd been there before, and Castiel followed close behind. By the time he realized they were sneaking around the side of the house, it was already too late to try and drag his brother back around to the front. To be fair, he should have noticed it much earlier, but his older sibling had a decidedly crafty nature and Castiel was distracted by his nerves and the copied letter echoing in his mind and currently taking up space in his pocket. The rumpled page had been his near constant companion since he'd printed it at the library and he seemed incapable of leaving it behind.

As they turned the corner to the back of the house, they saw a large glass greenhouse not far from the house. There were two figures standing in the middle of the structure, and as Castiel and Gabe snuck closer they found themselves watching flower petals and some kind of dried roots floating through the air in a way he'd never be able to convince himself was natural.

Dean was holding a golden amulet on a black string, and his expression was darker and more serious than earlier in the motel room. Something had happened between now and then and whatever it was hadn't been good. The other man was taller and holding some sort of crystal on a chain over a table. Castiel could only presume that this was the man who'd caught Gabriel's attention the day before. Castiel moved swiftly and undetected to the another vantage point, closer to the small entrance. With the new view, he could clearly see that there was a map placed on the table.

He could hear Dean chanting in... Latin? perhaps. He'd studied so many languages; French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, was even fluent in Italian, but it wasn't enough to provide an accurate interpretation. Castiel knew enough about language in general to tell it was something about location and perhaps evil spirits? He wasn't sure on the latter assumption, but it was more than enough to cause great concern for everyone involved. He watched as the dead language fell from the gorgeous mouth of the man he should not care for, and yet he found that he couldn't help himself. The man was currently performing some kind of ritual, hell for all he knew Dean could be raising the dead, or summoning a demon, and it was probably not a good sign that Castiel was still on board for whatever lay ahead with this mysterious man.

"HIYA HANDSOME!" Gabriel yelled with his usual lack of restraint. The two men startled and looked up, catching sight of the two brothers watching them. That small part of Castiel that had hoped that Dean would be pleased to see him was quickly disappointed as the man seemed to only get angrier as he realized that they'd been spying on him.

Castiel felt the heat run to his face, and quickly began to pray that his face wasn't showing all of the guilt and embarrassment that he felt. He stepped through the narrow doorway and into the greenhouse, feeling more ashamed than he had in a long time. Gabriel followed quickly, grinning at the unknown man.

"So much for being on the up and up there, Marshal. Is this the part where you tell me it's only fair, because honestly, I don't have time for it." Dean sounded justifiably angry, but there was a hint of hurt there as if Castiel had broken some sort of trust. Given how he'd first met Dean, the idea was entirely ridiculous, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

"No, I... I apologize, Dean. When Gabriel suggested coming here, I thought we were just going to visit and maybe see if you were willing to answer some questions. When he began sneaking around, I couldn't do anything but follow or leave him alone to cause trouble. I truly am sorry."

"Oi, that's not very nice. I just wanted to see handsome over here, and I wasn't going to do anything. No need to throw me under a bus," Gabriel interrupted, sidling over to the taller man who flushed slightly under the attention.

"Well, I sure as hell didn't invite you, so you can shove your excuses and your apologies. We're dealing with a bit of a family crisis at the minute, and we don't need a U.S. Marshal sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." Dean glared fiercely at both of them.

"If it's about our brother, we're involved as well. I may not have known him well, but he was our family and you don't walk away from that." Something was going on here, things that Castiel could not even begin to comprehend, but he wasn't going to stop until he got some answers. If that meant spending more time with Dean, well, he wasn't going to complain.

Dean's eyes softened a little and there was a flash of guilt at the mention of Lucifer. Castiel caught a sympathetic glance between the stranger and Gabe. It seemed like everyone knew more than he did and he was getting awfully sick of being the only one left in the dark. Hell, he was sure that if he called Michael, the older Novak would know more about whatever was going on than Castiel did.

"Look, Marshal.." Dean attempted, sounding a little less defensive, but Castiel was getting a bit sick of having his job thrown back in his face.

"Castiel."

"I'm sorry, what?" Dean replied.

"My name, it isn't Marshal; it's Castiel. I am more than just my job and you should show me some respect. I am also the brother of the man whose life you took. Every one of you is lying to me or hiding things from me, and I'm getting more exasperated by the minute. One way or another, someone is going to tell me what is going on!" Castiel's temper flared to life, his eyes flashing to a stormy grey.

Dean buried his face in his palm and gave a sigh of resignation. He stalked out of the greenhouse and was nearly all the way to the back entrance of the house before shouting over his shoulder to ask if they were coming. Castiel moved after him quickly, but Gabriel hesitated, only following inside once the taller man did. Something weird was going on there but he really didn't have the time or inclination to find out what it was. Right now, Castiel had enough of his own issues to worry about.

"You might wanna sit down…this could be a little hard to swallow" Dean started when they were settled around a sturdy kitchen table.

Castiel doesn't want to sit, but he was sure he'd just make everything more awkward if he insisted on standing. So he obliged, taking the seat next to Dean and telling himself that it wasn't because the connection urged him closer. He was totally imagining feeling like there was an elastic band tied around their waists stretched, to its limit and begging for release.

"There is just no way to sugarcoat this so I'm just going to spill it… me and Sam, we're witches."

"I'm sorry, but do you mean that you practice wicca and believe in a pagan faith system?" Castiel asked, and Gabriel rolled his eyes in his seat across the table.

"What my younger sibling means to say is; AWESOME!" Gabriel cheered, and Castiel involuntarily lifted his hands to hide his face in embarrassment.

""Could you at least attempt to act like an adult Gabriel?"

"What? Cassie, this is so incredible. They are witches! You can't honestly tell me you don't think its cool that they can do magic and stuff. What's so terrible about showing some enthusiasm?"

"Well considering we've yet to hear what exactly they use this magic for, if such a thing is true, I have every right to be skeptical." Castiel felt a little flustered. He'd hoped that when they came to talk to Dean and the other man - Sam?- that Gabriel would be on his side, but it seemed like somehow he'd forgotten that they were there for answers.

Dean was apparently unwilling to draw this conversation out any longer, because the next moment Castiel heard some latin dripping from the man's lips again and just as quickly he saw something amazing. It began snowing.. inside.. and only over himself. The flakes melted quickly of course, but he still felt the cooler air shifting around him and the wetness of their kiss against his skin. He must have stared at his arm for quite some time because when he looked back up, Gabriel had stretched across and cupped his hands over Castiel's head and immediately opened them dropping a fairly large handful of mush onto his face.

Sam let out a short bark of laughter and Gabriel beamed smugly as he sat back down. Castiel brushed away the cold sludge, doing his best not to stare in awe at Dean even though he knew he would be unsuccessful. Castiel wasn't one to question the belief that paranormal, and supernatural things existed persay, but he'd never seen anything so raw or magical before. It was one thing to listen to a psychic or have someone read your palm, it was another thing entirely to sit inside in the middle of summer and have snow falling on you.

"May I ask what exactly you use these...abilities for, other than weather conditions of course," he asked, genuinely curious and trying hard not to think of the completely disastrous impact that could occur if the wrong people were to learn weather magic. It was probably a point in Dean's favour that this side of the country hadn't been swamped with too many freak meterological incidents.

"Well normally, not much of anything. I will admit we used them much more in one year as children than I have in the last five. Occasionally I'll move a tool or stir my coffee with magic but that was the extent of my practicing… well until... until Lucifer."

"So am I right in assuming you are the one who killed him then?" Castiel asked.

He saw Dean flinch at the word killed. None the less, the man seemed to have accepted that he'd been responsible and even seemed to be feeling quite a bit of remorse. Considering the things Castiel had learned about his brother, that was.. surprising to say the least. Mostly though, he was just pleased that he was finally going to get some answers.

"Yes, twice actually." Castiel blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry, twice?"

"Yep, killed him dead.. twice," and there was a hint of amusement in Dean's voice.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning?"

Dean did his best to explain what happened and Castiel gasped in horror at how his brother had treated Joanna. He'd recently started willingly acknowledging and reminding himself that Lucifer was not the the brother he could barely remember from one or two of his own hazy memories and the stories his other brothers told him. Other than that, he only had some fictitious character that a young child had drawn up to sate his own mind.

Castiel had sat and listened to Dean pour himself out like a cup overflowing, but not once had Gabriel looked remotely surprised, making him that much angrier at his older sibling. Gabe had explained about the unauthorized visit to the Winchester home, but he had not given him anything besides the fact that he was looking for Lucifer's knife, and that it was important that they find it. So in all honesty, the only information his brother had given to him was, as always, exactly what Gabriel wanted him to know, nothing more, nothing less.

"I am sorry that happened to you Dean, I… I cannot imagine how heavy the weight on your mind can be after something like that."

"It's fine, Cas. Right now we have bigger problems to worry about."

"Cas?"

"Yeah, do.. do you have a problem with me calling you Cas?" There was something almost hesitant about the way Dean asked, and after turning it over in his head, Castiel found he didn't really mind the shortened name. There was a flicker of pleasure that this was something that was just between him and Dean, even if he was blowing it all out proportion.

"No, umm, no that's fine. What do you mean bigger problems?"

"Lucifer is back, and I think.. no actually I know, that he's possessing my sister."

"Dean-o, I need you to listen closely here, does Jo have a knife on her? A long, red-handled switchblade, easily hidden?" Gabriel asked, suddenly more interested in the conversation than the way he'd been idly juggling candy to impress Sam. Castiel was sure he'd been paying at least some attention, but his brother liked to appear nonchalant and bored when people when he was trying to impress people.

"No, not that I know of, but I didn't exactly get the chance to cavity search my sister before you're dead brother took off in her body."

"Wait a minute, that cop that came around earlier. Didn't he have a switchblade? Jo nearly passed out when she saw it. Maybe that's the one you're looking for?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but if it is we need to get it. Do you remember what it looked like?"

Sam shook his head, looking thoughtful. "Not really. And I don't think it's a good idea trying to steal a knife from the lead investigator on a case where my brother is suspected of murder. Why do you need it so badly?"

"What was the officer's name?" Castiel asked, thinking back through the case details that he'd flicked through a couple of days earlier. There'd been the issues with the original lead investigator after all.

"Officer Henriksen," Dean offered.

"Actually, he's not the lead investigator any more. He's not even technically a police officer right now. I found out earlier that he's been 'relieved of his duties.' you could say, because they suspected he was too wrapped up in this case," Castiel added.

"Well, I guess that explains why he's been crazy stalking us…"

"Samsquatch and I will go grab the Angel blade, while you two sit here and look pretty." Gabriel decided, standing up. Dean looked at him like he was a crazy person.

"Not gonna happen! No way in hell I'm letting some stranger take off with Sammy while I sit and twiddle my damn thumbs." The anger was back, and Castiel was rather pleased that it was no longer directed at him. Dean's protectiveness was just as endearing up close as it was on paper.

"Dean, it's fine. I can take care of myself, you really need to stay here in case she - he? They? - in case they come back, and let's be honest… it's not exactly like Gabriel is a stranger. You just spilled our entire life story, and he didn't flinch.. that's… impressive," Sam said with a good amount of admiration.

Castiel watched as Dean thought it over, clearly unhappy. He obviously had issues with letting his brother out of his sight at the moment, but Sam was a grown man and entirely capable of making his own decisions. Finally, Dean just nodded, yes, probably unable to verbalize it judging by the shaken look on his face. Castiel frowned as he could almost see another line of worry appear, adding to the toll that the past week from hell had taken on the gorgeous man.

Castiel could only hope that Dean wouldn't wind up regretting helping Gabriel.


End file.
